INTERCONNECTS

ISA Technologies, a specialist information technology company with core competencies in the areas of advanced high speed networks, e-business systems, software engineering, operations management and security has become the first organisation in the Southern Hemisphere to use revolutionary new IBM Cell chip technology for high performance computing and visualisation. ISA Technologies purchased an IBM Bladecenter QS22 system, with the PowerXCell 8i processor – a high performance version of the processor found in the Playstation 3. IBM’s Cell processor technology is powering some of the most intensive and cutting edge demands in the world including the world’s fastest supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratories with 1 petaflop of sustained performance. The purchase of the system was necessitated by the need for ISA Technologies to respond faster to its client’s needs, predominantly those in Australia’s booming resource sector who require intensive visualisation capabilities for seismic modelling in activities such as searching for new oil and gas reservoirs. The Cell technology will also be used by ISA to develop new technology applications in animation and engineering. “There are a lot of processors for high performance computing available, but the demands for visualisation are very heavy and can slow even the fastest processor down. The Cell Technology in the QS22 can handle the millions of variables involved, and do it with lower power consumption too,” says Sil La Puma, Managing Director, ISA Technologies. “The fact that it’s open – running on Linux – also makes it flexible to our needs.” The Cell processor in the Bladecenter QS22 isn’t just fast – it’s also green, delivering more than 480 megaflops per watt on a single blade. This compares very favourably to the top 500 green super-computers in the world today, which average 122 megaflops per watt. In its June 2008 Green Supercomputer List, Virginia’s State University’s Top500, said that the ‘most energy efficient supercomputers are based on: IBM QS22 Cell processor blades.’ “When it comes to supercomputers,” says Mark Latchford, Vice President, Systems and Technology Group, IBM Australia and New Zealand, “the cost of energy often exceeds the cost of hardware. To be able to get so much processing capability for a relatively low power demand represents a real breakthrough.” ISA’s purchase of a QS22 system will enable it to respond even faster to its clients from Australia’s booming resources sector, and also expand its reach into the health, engineering services, digital media and defence sectors, who all rely on this kind of intensive computing. IBM Australia For more information on IBM Australia, visit its Web site.