ACADEMIA

AMD announced that IFP has upgraded its supercomputing facilities with an AMD Opteron processor-based cluster to optimize its oil and gas exploration and production R&D chain. IFP is the world’s second largest process licensor in refining and petrochemicals (via its subsidiary Axens) and is an internationally recognized center of excellence in exploration and production. Powered by AMD Opteron processors interconnected through an Infinicon Infiniband network, the high performing cluster platform is significantly optimizing the applications that are used to develop the knowledge and technologies of the three fundamental oil and gas chain fields: exploration-production, refining-petrochemicals, and engines-fuels. Based on IBM e326 servers, the AMD Opteron processor-based solutions are improving the application performance for the following crucial software: Vasp for quantum chemistry, Gibbs for Monte Carlo molecular simulation, Temis3D for 3D basin modeling, First for reservoir monitoring and simulation, and IFP-C3D for reacting flow simulation in internal combustion engines. The AMD Opteron processor with Direct Connect Architecture is an ideal solution for running Vasp, Gibbs, Temis3D, First and IFP-C3D software simultaneously in a single cluster, as those applications require access to a high amount of memory bandwidth and density. By decreasing memory latency and providing scalability, the AMD Opteron processor plays a critical role in the overall oil and gas chain research and development process. Running all the applications in a single cluster at high performance levels allows IFP to recognize a significant increase in performance, network optimization, disk capacity increase, cost and time savings. “Thanks to the solutions provided by AMD in our high performance computing facilities, we are now able to address new challenges in the oil & gas industry such as improving oil recovery, implementing new design of catalysts, reducing car engine pollution, developing new fuels using biomass or hydrogen or achieving CO2 sequestration,” said Jacqueline Lecourtier Scientific Director of IFP. “AMD64 is a leading-edge technology that helps IFP leverage the potential of the latest research tools in the oil and gas industry by delivering outstanding computing performance and scalability,” said Gianluca Degliesposti, Director, Commercial Business Development, EMEA, at AMD. “The AMD64 platform is designed to meet the needs of the enterprise and the HPC market, including R&D centers. With the help of AMD64 technology, IFP can significantly improve its oil and gas chain research and development process and reduce time to market to better answer to the energy needs of the 21st century.”