GOVERNMENT
Lola Cars uses new supercomputer to create race car models in more detail
Lola Cars, the UK’s largest and most successful racing car constructor, uses the power of a new AMD Opteron based supercomputer to help design its future race cars. The supercomputer enables Lola Cars to use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software to simulate airflow over a racing car in a ‘virtual wind tunnel’ environment. This enables the aerodynamic performance of a racing car to be calculated as well as allowing new prototype shapes and configurations to be tested quickly. This process can work alongside wind tunnel development by providing additional direction or it can be used entirely on its own for aerodynamic design. 
The new supercomputer allows existing ‘full car’ CFD models to be solved five times more quickly than was possible with Lola Cars’ old supercomputer enabling team members to increase productivity. Alternatively, the CFD models can be increased in size to include even more detail which results in a more accurate correlation with the real race car. “The new supercomputer, or cluster as we call it in the CFD world, performs the millions of calculations necessary to simulate the airflow over our racing cars” says Phil Tiller, Senior Aerodynamicist, Lola Cars. “The new cluster enables us to now run more detailed models or to run original size models five times quicker. Ultimately, it enables us to design better, race winning cars.” Designed by IT giant AMD, assembly and configuration of the supercomputer is provided by UK High Performance Computing Integrator, OCF plc. Lola Cars is also using a new Cluster Management and Support Service from OCF enabling it to focus all available IT department resources to non-cluster related queries and user problems. “There are not many I.T. departments that have in-depth knowledge and experience of high performance computer systems,” says Chris Caffyn, IT Manager, Lola Cars. “Without the assistance from OCF it would have taken us considerably longer to get our new equipment up and running, but with their help we were able to get our CFD department migrated from the old cluster with very little down-time. OCF’s on-going support (both on-site and remote access) has been invaluable in configuring the system to get the best possible performance.” Designed for Small-to-Medium Businesses (SMBs) and other organisations without specialist supercomputing knowledge, the new OCF Cluster Management and Support Service provides remote and next day on-site support in tandem with OCF’s supercomputing design, implementation and configuration services. Collectively, OCF’s services enable businesses to invest in a supercomputer without requiring additional internal IT support.
The new supercomputer allows existing ‘full car’ CFD models to be solved five times more quickly than was possible with Lola Cars’ old supercomputer enabling team members to increase productivity. Alternatively, the CFD models can be increased in size to include even more detail which results in a more accurate correlation with the real race car. “The new supercomputer, or cluster as we call it in the CFD world, performs the millions of calculations necessary to simulate the airflow over our racing cars” says Phil Tiller, Senior Aerodynamicist, Lola Cars. “The new cluster enables us to now run more detailed models or to run original size models five times quicker. Ultimately, it enables us to design better, race winning cars.” Designed by IT giant AMD, assembly and configuration of the supercomputer is provided by UK High Performance Computing Integrator, OCF plc. Lola Cars is also using a new Cluster Management and Support Service from OCF enabling it to focus all available IT department resources to non-cluster related queries and user problems. “There are not many I.T. departments that have in-depth knowledge and experience of high performance computer systems,” says Chris Caffyn, IT Manager, Lola Cars. “Without the assistance from OCF it would have taken us considerably longer to get our new equipment up and running, but with their help we were able to get our CFD department migrated from the old cluster with very little down-time. OCF’s on-going support (both on-site and remote access) has been invaluable in configuring the system to get the best possible performance.” Designed for Small-to-Medium Businesses (SMBs) and other organisations without specialist supercomputing knowledge, the new OCF Cluster Management and Support Service provides remote and next day on-site support in tandem with OCF’s supercomputing design, implementation and configuration services. Collectively, OCF’s services enable businesses to invest in a supercomputer without requiring additional internal IT support.