INTERCONNECTS

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- SGI today announced that Ford Motor Company has purchased and installed SGI(R) Reality Center(TM) technology for its North American car visualization facility. Design and engineering teams at Ford's Dearborn, Mich., headquarters will be able to compile three-dimensional, immersive representations in real time from multiple data sources and formats for critical design and assembly reviews. As a result, Ford can optimize product design and performance, thus helping to reduce time to market of products. The SGI Reality Center system at Ford integrates an SGI(R) Onyx(R) 3000 series visualization system with three InfiniteReality3(TM) graphics pipes, eight 64-bit processors and three high-brightness digital projectors, letting teams of up to 30 people collaborate on the design process in an immersive stereo viewing environment. Working closely with Ford to address its specific requirement for multiteam design reviews, SGI Professional Services designed the turnkey Reality Center solution to seamlessly generate virtual models in real time from 3D design applications, video, digital images and other data sources. Fakespace Systems (Kitchener, Ontario) provided an 8-foot-high by 24-foot- wide edge-blended flat wall display system for the Reality Center facility. This stereoscopic WorkWall(TM) enables true three-dimensional viewing of large-scale computer-generated models. With the powerful capabilities of the SGI Reality Center system, teams will now be able to: -- Conduct appearance reviews more efficiently -- Perform digital assembly reviews to assess parts' fit and function -- Collaborate on marketing strategy even as designs are under development, thus reducing planning time -- Reduce the need for more costly and time-consuming physical models -- Improve efficiency and effectiveness through collaboration between different discipline experts in an immersive environment "Ford's selection of SGI technology validates our core strengths in high- performance computing and large-data visualization," said Dr. Eng Lim Goh, chief technology officer, SGI. "Our long-standing relationships with companies such as Ford, a valued customer of nearly 15 years, allow us to develop practical solutions that contribute to give customers the power to innovate. The goal is to arrive at better or faster decisions." Ford Chooses SGI technology for High-Performance Computing Needs In December 2001, Ford purchased an SGI(R) Origin(R) 3800 server with 68 processors to undertake the high-performance computing necessary for other design-related operations, including: -- Data analysis for crash impact research -- Computational fluid dynamics research on wind flow, emissions flow and heat dispersion -- Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO), the resolution of conflicts between such design and physical requirements as increased safety and reduced weight SGI(R) high-performance computing systems have led to the increased adoption of techniques such as MDO, which ultimately helps accelerate the design cycle. MDO takes into account the analysis solutions of multiple disciplines, which each optimize the design based on different-and often competing-criteria, and helps engineers find the design that represents the best compromise. The SGI Origin 3000 server series, with its highly scalable, single-system image architecture allows complex MDO problems involving very large-scale, high-fidelity modeling and analysis to be solved in a matter of days versus years. SGI Reality Center Technology Proves Beneficial for Automotive Industry More than 580 SGI Reality Center facilities (http://www.sgi.com/realitycenter/) are installed worldwide and help users arrive at better decisions in less time, providing enormous cost savings while enhancing productivity. SGI Reality Center facilities deliver the highest levels of realism, image quality and performance available today. These state-of-the-art systems offer the ultimate in flexibility by supporting multiple independent users, high- performance users, group decision making in an immersive visualization facility environment and collaboration in a Visual Area Network environment. They are widely relied upon for real-time, highly interactive working sessions for: -- Design review and engineering -- Complex data analysis -- Critical and/or hazardous training -- Sales and marketing -- Scientific research, education and analysis -- Decision support -- Command-and-control operations SGI visualization technologies play key roles in areas such as styling, digital mock-up and assembly, ergonomics, sales and marketing, and collaborative design review. Today, all of the automotive collaboration centers in operation around the world are powered by the SGI(R) Onyx(R) family of high-performance visualization systems. SGI Professional Services has played a key role in the design and installation of these and other systems based on SGI technology to meet specific requirements, from server performance to the physical display. For further details, visit http://www.sgi.com/manufacturing/.