CHEMISTRY

AUSTIN, TX -- Many of the world's leading corporations, universities and research institutions are realizing the performance and price benefits of standards-based technology for applications previously conducted on expensive proprietary systems. Since the launch of Dell's high-performance computing cluster (HPCC) program in February, the company has delivered thousands of Dell(tm) PowerEdge(tm) servers worldwide to customers performing these complex computations with large groups of standards-based systems. Applications include analyzing seismic data to find new oil and gas repositories, modeling and predicting ocean currents, and mapping galaxies with information from satellites. Customers cite the compelling value, performance, service and support, partnerships, and ease-of-use of Dell's standards-based PowerEdge servers as the primary reason for their selections. In Search of New Energy Sources Compagnie Generale de Geophysique (CGG) is in the process of further expanding its capacity for high-performance computing at its Foxboro Center, United Kingdom facilities. The expansion is being driven by their customers' increasing demand for CGG's unique proprietary applications for seismic data processing. As a leading supplier of services and products to the worldwide oil and gas industry, CGG is deploying 512 clustered PowerEdge servers running RedHat Linux in the United Kingdom to process data in finding new oil fields around the world. CGG selected Dell for the latest HPCC project based on several important factors, according to Guillaume Cambois, CGG's executive vice president for the Processing and Reservoir Services. "Dell's ability to quickly accommodate CGG's demanding requirements, the design of their architecture, which facilitates a smooth and rapid deployment based on intelligent hardware features, and the price and performance benefits CGG experienced with its 1536-node Dell HPC cluster in our Houston, Texas center, contributed to this decision." A Sea of Change Johns Hopkins University, a leading academic and research university, is utilizing a Dell HPC cluster running RedHat Linux in its Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. The cluster is used to perform ocean-circulation modeling at its Baltimore, Md., campus. Through the cluster's integration of the equations of ocean dynamics, scientists are achieving a better understanding of the ocean's role in climate, both in the past, and in the globally-warmed future. The cluster also is used to simulate the penetration, storage and dispersal of atmospheric contaminants in the ocean, such as man-made carbon dioxides and chlorofluorocarbons gases. The ocean is modeled as a grid with each rack-mounted PowerEdge server node dedicated to computing the currents in a small part of the ocean. The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is planning to expand its cluster and to also simulate Earth's atmosphere and deep interior with it. "My group chose Dell as the infrastructure partner for its ocean circulation modeling research because of the reliability of Dell PowerEdge servers and Dell customer support," Tom Haine, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, said. "Building our cluster on open standards server technology and the RedHat Linux operating system was an easy decision when you compare it to a traditional supercomputer purchase. It allowed us to maximize cluster performance and robustness within our technology budget." The Stars in the Southern Hemisphere Swinburne University in Victoria, Australia also is using high-performance clusters based on Dell PowerEdge servers and Linux to map new territories in space. The University's PowerEdge server and Dell Precision workstation HPC-clusters are being used to process data from the Parkes Radio Telescope in search of ultra-fast Pulsars. Swinburne is investigating the equation of the state of nuclear matter and testing the General Theory of Relativity in new ways. It also is transforming data from the Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter into animations of Mars' surface for use in educational films. "Deploying standards-based technology enables us to meet our budgets and, most importantly, process monumental amounts of data critical for our research," said Professor Bailes, director of the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University. "Dell is the logical technology partner for us because of their outstanding price performance and commitment to ensuring the success of each customer's project." "As price performance continues to improve due to innovations in industry-standard technology, Dell is a leader in the development of computing solutions that capitalize on this trend for customers," said Randy Groves, vice president of Dell's Enterprise Systems Group. "The success of the HPCC program underscores customers' demand for cost-effective solutions that are flexible and high performing." Other businesses and universities participating in Dell's HPCC program include Cornell Theory Center, Fiat Research Centre, Georgia Institute of Technology, Notre Dame, Penn State University, Sandia National Laboratories, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Missouri - St. Louis, and many others.