PHYSICS

Leveraging its leadership in providing high-performance computing systems to drive innovation in science and entertainment, Silicon Graphics has teamed with Universe Partners, LLC, for the upcoming large-format IMAX film project, Stephen Hawking's Beyond the Horizon. As the film's lead corporate technology partner, SGI has committed two million dollars in the form of visualization support, systems and personnel, in line with the company's dual focus on scientific and media computing. Universe Partners was formed with the sole purpose of working with Professor Hawking to develop a general audience large-format film that visualized the new horizons of cosmology. Premiering in 2005, the release of Beyond the Horizon coincides with the 100th anniversary and worldwide celebration of Einstein's theory of relativity that marks the birth of modern physics. "Cosmology is a rapidly advancing field. With the COSMOS supercomputer, SGI has allowed scientists to think about the universe more deeply," said Stephen Hawking. "Now, SGI helps bring the universe to everyone -- from children to adults -- around the world. We will all be able to see and experience the universe through the wonders of our large-format film. It is an extraordinary next step." In its theatrical life, Beyond the Horizon will be seen in over 45 countries in more than 350 venues over five years. According to Universe Partners' Managing Partner and Executive Producer, David J. Allen, "SGI's involvement assures that our film will meet the highest expectations of a worldwide audience that has been awed by extraordinary special effects in such films as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings." This participation builds on SGI's relationship with Professor Hawking and Cambridge University, where Hawking is using SGI(R) Altix(R) technology to create the largest cosmology supercomputer in the U.K. "We plan to provide the fundamental computing power that underlies all scientific and creative progress in the digital world of the 21st century," said Bob Bishop, chairman and CEO, SGI. "This is an opportunity to merge pure science and creative storytelling in what will be a ground-breaking entertainment and education project." In addition to SGI, other assistance for the film will come from The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), The (Hubble) Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), The National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, and MatteWorld Digital. Stephen Hawking's Beyond the Horizon takes viewers on a journey that begins with the creation of our universe. It animates how our existence transcends the earth and how the universe is the result of design over chance. Large questions can be better answered in immersive environments. SGI technology will be used to create a direct link between the public and the Hubble Telescope. The creative team includes Professor Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow, scriptwriter for Star Trek and other projects, and Bruce Neibaur, the award-winning and critically acclaimed director of IMAX films including Mysteries of Egypt, Lewis and Clark, and the recently released India: Kingdom of the Tiger. On the web: About the film and Universe Partners, LLC: http://www.universepartners.net/ Stephen Hawking: http://www.hawking.org.uk/ SGI's cosmology supercomputer: http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/cosmos/