PHYSICS

Silicon Graphics announced that its award-winning SGI Altix server easily dominates competitors, including proprietary UNIX systems, with stunning new world records in SPEComp L2001 tests for 64-processor and 128-processor systems. Geared to evaluate systems used in demanding science and engineering environments, SPEComp L2001 measures the performance of shared-memory multiprocessor systems using applications based on OpenMP API. Based on the latest available results published on www.spec.org, a 128- processor SGI Altix system running standard Linux operating system achieved a record SPECompLbase2001 result of 536,169 using the latest Intel compilers. This is the fastest such result reported by SPEC. Even at 64 processors, SGI Altix (with a score of 344099) easily outperformed a 128- processor Fujitsu PRIMEPOWER HPC2500 (scoring 262140), and blew by all other competing systems on record, including a 64-processor HP Integrity SuperDome (289967) and a 72-processor Sun Microsystems Sun Fire 15K (240622)(1). Many of these competing systems are also based on the same standard Intel Itanium 2 processor, showing the tremendous difference in real-world performance capable with SGI NUMAflex architecture. "These results are a testament to the powerful and scalable shared-memory system architecture that only Altix brings to the Linux market," said Jason Chang, Altix 3000 Product Line Manager. "No competing system can touch the Altix system's ability to deliver leading performance, exceptional price/performance, and production-ready reliability in a scalable 64-bit Linux environment." SGI Altix Family Scales Up and Out The SGI Altix system architecture handles large data sets with ease, helping to enable customers to achieve groundbreaking improvements in life sciences, manufacturing, oil and gas exploration, homeland security, earth and environmental sciences research. The Altix system has consistently set numerous records for sheer performance, and for its ability to efficiently run manufacturing, engineering and scientific applications across hundreds of processors in a Linux operating environment. The Altix family offers unparalleled options for scaling up and scaling out to meet the needs of HPC users. SGI(R) Altix(R) 3000 is the first Linux OS-based system to commercially scale to up to 256 Intel Itanium 2 processors in a single node using the powerful SGI NUMAflex global shared-memory architecture. Altix 3000 also offers the unique ability to scale memory, CPUs and I/O bandwidth independently of one another, so Altix systems can be configured to meet any challenge. Each node in a system can contain 4 to 256 processors, 4 gigabytes to 8 terabytes of global shared memory, and 48 PCI-X buses; and delivers over 3 gigabytes per second of sustained I/O bandwidth. With best in class price, performance, and price/performance, the mid- range SGI(R) Altix(R) 350 system scales from one to 16 Itanium 2 processors and up to 192GB of memory per node. Hundreds of nodes can be clustered together over both standard Gigabit Ethernet or SGI's new 10 Gigabit Ethernet option, or via the leading price-performance interconnect, InfiniBand. Availability Scalable SGI Altix 350 systems are available today in server configurations of 4 to 16 processors per node, and extended into cluster configurations using industry standard interconnects. Altix 3000 systems are available today in server and supercomputer configurations of 4 to 256 processors, and supercluster configurations of 4 to 512 processors. For customers demanding even larger Altix systems, SGI plans to support supercluster configurations of 1,024 processors and larger, and single-system image configurations of 512 processors over time. Additional Altix system technical and availability information is posted on www.sgi.com/servers/altix. (1) Competitive benchmark results stated above reflect results published on www.spec.org as of May 25, 2004. Comparisons are based on the best performing and similarly configured 128-cpu, 72-cpu and 64-cpu servers currently shipping by HP, Sun and Fujitsu. 128-cpu and 64-cpu Altix 3000 results were achieved in tests run by SGI, in accordance with SPEC's "Run and Reporting Rules for SPEC OMP2001," on May 12, 2004. For testing dates and sources of results on competitive systems, and for the latest SPEComp L2001 benchmark results, visit http://www.spec.org/omp/results/ompl2001.html. For more information on SPEComp L2001, visit http://www.spec.org/hpg/omp2001/docs/faq.html.