ENGINEERING

Tomorrow, Total is inaugurating the new high-performance supercomputer at its Scientific and Technical Centre in Pau, France which now ranks the group among the top ten international companies in terms of supercomputing power. The event will take place in the presence of Lionel Beffre, Prefect of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, and Yves-Louis Darricarrère, Upstream President.

This investment is intended to gain in time and in precision for modelling the subsurface and simulating the behaviour of reservoirs.

“We are proud of this leap forward in our performance which positions us in the vanguard of high technology at international level. This supercomputer – 15 times more powerful than its predecessor – has been specifically designed to meet the main technical challenges facing our industry. Its intensive computing capacity constitutes a key competitive asset that is an integral part of the Group’s bold exploration strategy,” says Yves-Louis Darricarrère.

The supercomputer, which represents an investment of €60 million over four years, was commissioned on January 17 for the Seismic Imagery and Interpretation department of Total’s Centre for hydrocarbon research. It will be used as a tool to assist decision-making in the exploration of complex geological areas and to increase the efficiency of hydrocarbon production in compliance with the safety standards and with respect for the environment.

Designed by SGI (Silicon Graphics International), the Pangea supercomputer has a computing capacity of 2.3 Pflops. Its unique computing architecture is based on over 110,000 calculation cores, 7 Pb storage capacity and an innovative cooling system whose circuit is integrated with the processors. Requiring 2.8 MW of electric power, the heat generated by this supercomputer is recovered, making it possible to heat the Scientific and Technical Centre.

Virtual visit to Pangea

The group plans to double the power of its supercomputer by 2015.