Petrobras, one of the largest oil companies in the world, has chosen a Linux-based Grid comprised of IBM eServer BladeCenter systems to speed deep-sea oil exploration in the state of Espirito Santo. This is the largest collection of BladeCenter servers implemented by IBM Brazil and one of the largest in Latin America. The new system has already delivered a significant improvement in processing power and performance for Petrobras, while dramatically reducing floor space. Comprised of 18 IBM BladeCenter servers holding a total of 252 nodes, the entire system occupies only three racks (each containing 84 blades), less than half the space required by similar, competitive systems. "Petrobras discovered that IBM's solution offers the best technological features and price," remarked Anicelso Bissoli, the IT services coordinator for Petrobras in the state of Espirito Santo. "The results have considerably exceeded our expectations. We have already obtained figures from the users themselves, which show there has been a ten-fold reduction in processing time following the introduction of the new solution." The servers also come equipped with IBM Director software, which manages the entire system, enhancing performance and reliability. "The challenge faced by Petrobras is to minimize the risk of coming up empty when drilling for gas or oil," said Francisco Marcondes, Systems Sales, IBM Brazil. "With this high performance infrastructure, the gathering of data and mapping of a particular region can be done much faster and more accurately, diminishing that risk." Deep-sea oil exploration is a highly complex operation that entails radiography of the soil, and analysis and interpretation of information to determine the best locations for drilling for oil or gas. "The seismic process considerably reduces the margin of error when identifying the area to be drilled," said Bissoli. Petrobras is one of the largest companies in Brazil and one of the largest oil companies in the world. The company operates in the oil, gas and energy sectors. In 2003, Petrobras posted net profits of BRL 17.7 billion. The company is renowned in the oil industry for its development of deep-sea technology. At the Petrobras unit in Espirito Santo, the company produces 42 thousand barrels of oil and 1,200,000 cubic meters of gas annually, and employs approximately 2,000 people.