INDUSTRY

ClusterVision, specialist in Linux supercomputer clusters, has completed the installation of a compute cluster for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software specialist NUMECA. The 130 Intel Xeon processor cluster was installed last week at NUMECA's corporate headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. NUMECA software is used for the simulation, design and optimisation of fluid flow and heat transfer in and around structures such as airplanes, cars and buildings. The new cluster will be used by NUMECA's software and research engineers to run large-scale CFD simulations for NUMECA's international customer base and for the many research projects in which NUMECA partners with university departments, research laboratories and industry. The cluster consists of a master server with two Intel Xeon 3.06GHz processors and 1.25TB of disk storage, 64 slave servers with two Intel Xeon 3.06GHz processors, and a Gigabit Ethernet network. The master server manages the distribution of computational tasks amongst the slave servers and consolidates the resulting data. The cluster runs the Linux-based ClusterVisionOSTM cluster operating system and software environment which includes all software required to effectively use and manage the cluster. Marc Tombroff, General Manager of NUMECA, stated: "Our partnership with ClusterVision opens the door to large-scale CFD simulations within short industrial timeframe. The new cluster will bring large additional calculation power to NUMECA and support our customer and partner demands to run challenging multi-physics and multi-disciplinary simulations. We are looking forward to a longterm and fruitful partnership with ClusterVision." Diagram of a 9-stage compressor from a jet engine for which NUMECA provides simulation software and consultancy (Courtesy Rolls-Royce GmbH). Matthijs van Leeuwen, Sales Director of ClusterVision, emphasised the importance of theCFD market for ClusterVision: "Our cluster supercomputers are particularly suited and cost-effective for CFD applications. Because we build our supercomputer clusters using powerful and reliable industry-standard hardware components, we can offer a much better price/performance level than that of traditional supercomputers. We are very pleased that this leading company in the CFD software market has selected ClusterVision to supply their main computer resource for CFD simulations. We look forward to a fruitful and long-term partnership with NUMECA."