INDUSTRY

The European Centre for Theoretical Studies in Nuclear Physics and Related Areas (ECT*) and Exadron, the HPC division of the Eurotech group, have announced a new, Teraflop class Supercomputer. The machine, was announced during the 10th anniversary of ECT* foundation on October 10, will empower European researchers with a new Grid node, capable of supporting a range of applications spanning from Nuclear Physics to Molecular Dynamics. Based on a large number of Xeon™ processors and a rich network infrastructure that has been developed within the APE-NEXT project of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), the facility will rank among the first 20 cluster-based supercomputers in the world and among the first 5 in Europe. Exadron is delivering the system using its XCluster™ line of products, a series of blades with a very compact form factor that allows up to 20 CPUs, 20 Gbit/s connectivity and .5 TByte local storage in a single stackable, 4U, 19” chassis. Cabling is reduced to the minimum thanks to the adoption of a backplane system that routes all signals (network, KVM, power, etc.) to a single point. The advantage of this dense setup is manifold: it simplifies assembly and maintenance of large installations, it enhances reliability and performance and it permits an almost plug-and-play scaling in the number of nodes. Thanks to its new computational facility, ECT* will expand its joint programs to the Nuclear Physics simulations, Genomic research and Molecular Dynamics with local and international communities of scientists, therefore fostering innovation and knowledge exchange. ECT*, European Centre for Theoretical Studies in Nuclear Physics and Related Areas is based in Villazzano (Trento, Italy). Under the Direction of Prof. Wolfram Weise and the Scientific Secretariat of Prof. Renzo Leonardi ECT* is an international centre devoted to the development of scientific knowledge, with scopes and programmes that complement the ones traditionally provided by the Academia. ECT* coordinates, promotes and manages pan-European projects, workshops, seminars, meetings and courses where prominent scientists are invited. Moreover, ECT* sponsors with fellowships the development of the human potential of junior researchers. (http://www.ect.it - rachel@ect.it) Exadron is the Supercomputing Division of the Eurotech group and is a leader in the European Scientific Supercomputing arena. A long standing provider of massive parallel computers, Exadron is contributing to the definition of upcoming standards for tomorrow’s architectures. Based in Amaro (Udine, Italy), Exadron can satisfy the global HPC market thanks to the Eurotech world-wide organisation, with a coverage that spans Europe, the USA and China. (http://www.exadron.com - info@exadron.com ) The INFN - the National Institute of Nuclear Physics - is an organization dedicated to the study of the fundamental constituents of matter, and conducts theoretical and experimental research in the fields of subnuclear, nuclear, and astroparticle physics.Fundamental research in these areas requires the use of cutting-edge technologies and instrumentation, which the INFN develops both in its own laboratories and in collaboration with the world of industry. Moreover, the INFN promotes the application of the skills, methods, and experimental techniques developed in the course of its own research to research in other fields, such as medicine, artistic preservation, and environmental protection. (http://www.infn.it)