PROCESSORS

Latest Release Expands Cross-Platform Support to Microsoft SUA: The Portland Group (PGI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of STMicroelectronics and the leading independent supplier of compilers and tools for high-performance computing, today announced the general availability of Release 7.0 of its suite of Fortran, C and C++ compilers and development tools. PGI compilers and tools are used widely in high-performance computing (HPC), the field of technical computing engaged in the modeling and simulation of complex processes, such as ocean modeling, weather forecasting, seismic analysis, bioinformatics and other areas. PGI compilers, which convert software programs into the binary instructions that computers understand, are recognized in the HPC community for delivering world-class performance across a wide spectrum of applications and benchmarks, and they are referenced regularly as the industry standard for performance and reliability. Today, PGI compilers and tools are used predominantly on 64-bit and 32-bit Linux and Microsoft Windows-based workstations, servers and clusters based on microprocessors from AMD and Intel. With the availability of Release 7.0, The Portland Group extends support to Microsoft's Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (SUA). SUA is a source-code compatible subsystem for compiling and running UNIX-based applications on a computer running a Windows Server-class operating system including Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows Server 2003. "We see growing demand for our cross-platform compilers and tools," said Douglas Miles, director, The Portland Group. "With Release 7.0, we've taken the important next step in our strategy of offering programmers and developers a performance-oriented compiler and tools suite that is fully optimized for both Intel and AMD processors. PGI compilers and tools now support all major 64-bit operating systems running on x64 processor-based platforms, and add an important capability for quick and easy UNIX to Windows migration with full native support for Microsoft SUA." "Microsoft is pleased to be working with PGI to bring its suite of high-performance compilers and tools to Windows Server and Windows Vista in support of our Subsystem for Unix-based Applications," said Ryan Gavin, director of Platform Strategy at Microsoft Corp. "SUA provides traditional UNIX and Linux developers with an easy and efficient means to leverage their existing skills and applications on the Windows platform. This allows enterprises to take advantage of the underlying reliability and cost efficiencies of the Windows platform, while enabling interoperability with their existing Unix and Linux environments. PGI compilers, coupled with SUA, give IT professionals a familiar set of tools they can use in high-demand heterogeneous environments" PGI compilers and tools feature full native support for OpenMP parallel programming extensions, auto-parallelization for multi-core processors, full support for 64-bit addressing; native integrated scalar and vector SSE/SSE2/SSE3 code generation, PGI's world-class optimization infrastructure, and a bundled version of AMD's ACML, a library of highly optimized numeric functions for mathematical, engineering, scientific and financial applications. "AMD multi-core processors with Direct Connect Architecture, along with PGI's compilers, deliver incredible performance for many widely-used 64-bit engineering and scientific applications such as geophysical modeling, mechanical engineering, non-linear dynamics, computational chemistry and high-energy physics," said Margaret Lewis, director, Commercial Solutions, AMD. "Working closely with leading technical innovators like The Portland Group to ensure ongoing support for the latest processor innovations is a key component of our strategy and our commitment to HPC." New capabilities in PGI Release 7.0 include support for some Fortran 2003 features, expanded ANSI C99 support and the addition of a network installation option. Network installation simplifies the deployment and use of the PGI compilers and tools software on large networks incorporating systems with multiple distinct distributions of the Linux operating system. In addition, PGI Release 7.0 includes preliminary support for Apples' Mac OS X operating system. Full Mac OS X support will follow in mid 2007. A summary of all the new features in PGI Release 7.0 is available from The Portland Group Web site. The key advantages of PGI compilers and tools are also available at its Web site.