GOVERNMENT

ESTECO was created in 1999 to commercialize design optimization knowledge acquired during a project sponsored by the European Union. ESTECO’s expertise in design optimization techniques, numerical analysis and information technology makes it an ideal partner for engineering companies interested in taking full advantage of their computational resources. Two years in development, the company’s flagship product, modeFRONTIER, is a world-class, industrial-strength, process integration and multi-objective optimization platform. Challenge: Benchmarking CAE Applications and Expanding the Business Increasing market competition is squeezing the product developmentcycle time for industrial designers and manufacturers. Designers in aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, consumer products and other industries must drastically shorten turnaround times while decreasing design costs. At the same time customer demands for higher quality products are also increasing. The only way to reconcile these two trends is by fully optimizing the design process. ESTECO’s modeFRONTIER provides product designers with a state of the art optimization package that can be easily integrated with virtually any computer aided engineering (CAE) tool, such as Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) applications. Using a variety of state-of-the-art optimization techniques, ranging from gradient-based methods to genetic algorithms, the process or design of interest is optimized by specifying objectives and defi ning variables which affect factors such as geometric shape and operating conditions. modeFRONTIER in effect becomes an extension to the CAE tool, optimizing workfl ows by modifying the values assigned to the input variables, and monitoring the outputs. Like all computationally-intensive design software, ESTECO’s customers need to know of the expected performance enhancements before investing in the solution. ESTECO customers want to see quantitative evidence of how modeFRONTIER will perform when integrated with their chosen CAE application, and while running their largest and most challenging models or simulations. As a software company ESTECO was well equipped with computing resources, but had not invested in a supercomputer to run computationally-intensive benchmarking jobs. To meet customer requests ESTECO was forced to ‘borrow’ computing time at external, thirdparty supercomputing centers. This approach delayed ESTECO’s time-to-results, reducing their responsiveness to customer inquiries. Additionally, ESTECO wanted to expand their business. The company intended to further leverage modeFRONTIER’s success by providing design optimization consulting services. Without a supercomputer to test configurations and run models, the company was unable to provide timely and effective service. By 2005 the company knew they needed to invest in a supercomputer of their own. Solution: Linux Networx LS-1 Linux Supersystem Since launching modeFRONTIER in 2001, ESTECO has partnered with virtually every significant supercomputing vendor. Over the years ESTECO has benchmarked their product on these systems, borrowing time at computing centers run by supercomputing vendors themselves. By 2005 the company was well-schooled in supercomputing technology and the strengths and weaknesses of different vendors. They knew they wanted to purchase a Linux supercomputing cluster, thanks to demonstrated price/performance benefits. They also knew that to reap these benefi ts, they needed to choose a system and partner carefully. “Given our objectives, we needed a system that would be easy to use and maintain,” said Dr Carlo Poloni, President of ESTECO. “Additionally, because we interoperate with so many different applications across a range of industries, we needed to find a vendor who understood all of our target markets, their codes and the types of analysis they perform. We needed to know that our system would perform well in a variety of different scenarios and we needed a partner who could provide a high level of support.” Linux Networx minimizes the customer effort involved in Linux Supercomputing defi nition, deployment and ongoing operations. The company’s Linux Supercomputers are delivered as application- tuned, production-ready systems, ensuring that customers can take advantage of the Linux price/performance advantage from the moment the system arrives. Thanks to over a decade of experience in Linux Supercomputing, Linux Networx is uniquely able to design, deliver and support systems that exceed customer expectations across the supercomputing cycle - from initial system time-to-production, to computational time-to-results, to ongoing ease-of-operations. Customers focus on computational research, while Linux Networx powers their demands for ultimate total application throughput. “Linux Networx was the only company with the right blend of CAE application, Linux Supercomputing and product design expertise,” said Dr. Poloni. “More importantly, when comparing their system to the others we evaluated, it was clear that they would deliver unrivaled price/performance complemented by proven customer support.” ESTECO chose a 16-node LS-1 Linux Supersystem featuring Intel Dual-core Dempsey processors. Linux Networx LS-1 Supersystems are available in standard confi gurations featuring proven hardware and software components. They are designed to deliver the ultimate application-tuned computational performance and work throughput in the supercomputing industry. With greater computational power and design flexibility, lower operational and management costs and reduced system complexity, the LS-1 delivers superior Linux Networx price/performance value to every customer. Linux Networx application-experts tuned the system for ANSYS CFX, a CFD application that is very popular with ESTECO’s customers, as well as other codes. After thoroughly testing and validating the system, it was delivered to ESTECO in June of 2006 and put into production within 20 days. Accelerating Benchmarks and Powering New Business Opportunities ESTECO began reaping the benefi ts of the system almost immediately. During the summer of 2006, the company was contacted by companies interested in optimizing the design of yachts and safety systems for automobiles. The Supersystem was an essential component of ESTECO’s response to these customer inquiries. It allows them to run larger models than ever before, while also driving more jobs than ever before. “The Linux Networx Supersystem has given us the ability to increase the number of benchmarking jobs we run by a factor of 10, which is staggering,” said Dr. Poloni. “In addition we are able to complete our largest and most intensive jobs in a matter of days now. Prior to acquiring the system, it took us months to complete these models. With the Linux Networx system we’re able to complete jobs an incredible 15 times faster than before.” In addition to accelerating turnaround time and increasing the number of jobs the company can tackle, the LS-1 Supersystem has opened new opportunities to grow the business. ESTECO also leverages the LS-1 Supersystem to commercialize the design optimization expertise of its employees as a consulting service to their customers. “The Linux Networx Supersystem has powered a new area of company revenue in the consulting arena,” said Dr. Poloni. “In addition to our software, we can now sell our design optimization skills by taking on customer modeling projects and completing them efficiently and cost-effectively.” Results Less than six months after putting the system into production, it has become integral to ESTECO’s business. ESTECO can now complete their jobs 15 times faster and can conduct 10 times as many jobs as they were able to previously. ESTECO now has the time and resources to begin offering consulting services alongside its product offering. “Linux Networx is powering two profit centers for our company,” said Dr. Poloni. “First, their system has accelerated our ability to respond to sales opportunities. Second, it has given us the technical foundation we need to create a whole new business unit around consulting. Just a few months after putting it into production it has become central to our business.”