Compagnie Générale de Géophysique (CGG) decides to deploy IBM BladeCenter JS21 at its data processing centers -- IBM announced today the deployment of Europe’s most powerful seismic supercomputer at Compagnie Générale de Géophysique (CGG), one of the world leaders in geophysical services. CGG will use the system to respond to growing demand in the petroleum industry around the world. To address these demands, CGG is seeking a way to significantly reduce its processing times from the moment the geophysical data is collected to the point when it is interpreted in the form of seismic imaging. These new clusters, based on the dual-core IBM BladeCenter JS21, will also allow CGG to boost its worldwide computing capacity to a maximum of 113 teraflops (RPeak). This puts CGG in a perfect position to respond to the extremely high performance requirements of the oil industry. The Power Architecture based supercomputer is the first major implementation of the new generation advanced BladeCenter JS21 systems. This acquisition of the cutting edge JS21 supercomputer is part of CGG’s ongoing commitment to continually improve its performance and thus respond to the demands of a highly competitive market by optimizing the quality and speed of processing in specific applications. The new system is being deployed at the company’s premises in Massy (France), London, Kuala Lumpur and Houston (Texas). As a first step, CGG expanded its facilities by deploying over 2800 JS21 nodes, each node comprised of the latest dual-core PowerPC 970MP processor, in conjunction with over 200 BladeCenter H high-speed chassis. This combination allowed CGG to enjoy maximum performance in the blade while enabling future performance enhancements through the chassis. Using Geocluster, CGG’s application software optimized for the VMX vector accelerator in the JS21, CGG’s new high-performance clusters will dramatically improve calculations, reducing the processing time for seismic data while delivering better image quality and significantly improving oil field management for the oil companies. “We have always seen technology as our number one ally. It’s thanks at least in part to technology that we’re able to improve our speed and efficiency and therefore conquer new markets,” said Guillaume Cambois, Vice-President of Data Processing & Reservoir at CGG. “To maintain our competitive edge, we renew our calculating capabilities every 24 months. That’s why we’re constantly on the look-out for the most innovative, high-performance technology and listen to what manufacturers have to tell us. This new infrastructure, based on the IBM BladeCenter JS21, will enable us to increase our calculating power even further and provide our clients with even more accurate images within a shorter timeframe.” “We have a great deal of expertise in scientific calculations, and we are proud of the confidence that CGG has placed in us once again in its effort to continually improve performance and competitiveness,” said Nicolas Sekkaki, Vice-President of the IBM Systems Technology Group, France & NWA. “It’s thanks to companies like CGG, with their passion for innovation, that our offerings evolve in terms of their technology and design. We are more than ever living in an age where innovation comes about through use.” IBM BladeCenter JS21 and the BladeCenter H chassis With performance up to three times faster than the previous generation, the IBM BladeCenter JS21 is the premier blade server for 64-bit UNIX and Linux applications. The JS21 delivers a break-through building block solution for HPC clusters, scientific research in life and earth sciences, Web serving with applications such as IBM WebSphere, and server consolidation with optional Advanced POWER Virtualization. The IBM BladeCenter JS21 utilizes two single-core 64-bit IBM PowerPC 970MP processors at 2.7 GHz or two dual-core processors at 2.5 GHz with a 1MB L2 cache per core. The IBM BladeCenter H chassis adds performance capabilities of 4X InfiniBand or 10 gigabit Ethernet-capable fabrics to a more robust thermal solution, making it the ideal platform to run next-generation, high-performance clusters. Designed to run multiple operating systems and processor architectures concurrently, the BladeCenter H chassis delivers unprecedented deployment flexibility and investment protection, enabling customers to lower their costs through server and networking consolidation while simplifying overall server management. The Compagnie Générale de Géophysique group is a global participant in the oilfield services industry, providing a wide range of seismic data acquisition, processing and geoscience services and software to clients in the oil and gas exploration and production business. It is also a global manufacturer of geophysical equipment. For more information about IBM, visit its Web site.