OIL & GAS

Nallatech today joined several partners from industry, academia and government organizations, in launching the FPGA High Performance Computing Alliance (FHPCA) at an industry conference held in the Dynamic Earth Centre in Edinburgh. The FHPCA aims to advance the development and adoption of FPGA-based high-performance computing through collaboration on the design and development of world's most powerful FPGA-based supercomputer using COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) technology. The objectives of this project are to: deliver tools to simplify the design and management of scalable FPGA high-performance computers; provide opportunities for education and training by generating course materials and the provision of six EngD student scholarships; facilitate technology transfer, including assistance with porting conventional supercomputing applications to an FPGA-based supercomputer; and promote research in the application of FPGA-based high-performance computing by making facilities available to visiting academics. "FPGA-based computing systems have been Nallatech's business for over ten years. We have systems installed in applications as diverse as genomic processing and military radar. Yet for many scientists and engineers, who would love to have access to the computing power that this technology can provide, FPGA computing is either unknown or inaccessible, simply because the tools and techniques to develop these systems are so specialised," said Allan Cantle, CEO of Nallatech. "FPGA computing is today where conventional microprocessor-based computing was 15 years ago. The potential exists to deliver unprecedented computational capacity, using less power in a smaller space, however to unleash that potential the industry needs to develop the means to give users low risk access to that power." Cantle continued, "Working with the FHPCA will help industry to begin the process of opening up the technology to a wider range of users and hence applications through education, the development of standardized tools and providing a platform for large-scale demonstrations. Nallatech is making a significant investment in the FHPCA both financially and in terms of technology, time and expertise. We expect that through our participation Nallatech and its customers will gain not only from the new knowledge that will be a result of the program, but also from having a wider group of engineers and scientists worldwide, who are familiar with the capabilities of our systems and confident in their ability to use them." Cantle has been actively lobbying for a "center of excellence" for FPGA computing since the presentation of his white paper, "FPGA Centric Computing Institute" to Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise in October 2003.