SCIENCE

IBM announced new high performance computing (HPC) cloud offerings to help clients tackle advanced  scientific and technical computing workloads like analytics, simulations for product development, climate research and life sciences.

Today, many organizations operate with separate pools of high performance computing systems. The HPC cloud offerings from IBM will allow clients to link computing resources across their organizations into a single, high performance, private cloud while providing system administrators the flexibility to set priorities based on business or technical needs.

In order for cloud computing to be cost efficient for scientific use, clouds must be optimized for scientific applications, according to a paper written by Lawrence Berkeley Lab as part of its Magellan Project. IBM is currently the only major vendor to offer a private cloud solution tuned for HPC users.

By knitting disparate systems together into one centralized resource, clients can gain easier access to more computing that can be used to support their most important business priorities. For example, instead of segmenting computing resources by department, life sciences organizations can now pool systems from across the organization and devote them as needed to their most pressing, intensive projects like drug discovery or analysis of massive amounts of genomic data without the need to seek outside resources.

HPC cloud offerings from IBM

The HPC cloud offerings from IBM can enable clients to more easily manage and prioritize HPC assets on a global basis while maintaining operations and data securely behind their company's firewall. This capability will allow organizations in industries like oil and gas or manufacturing that capture large volumes of unstructured data to pool and scale internal computing resources to respond to fluctuating amounts of data that need to be processed and analyzed, for example.

The HPC cloud offerings from IBM include:

• IBM  HPC Management Suite for Cloud: A new resource manager with tools to enable administrators to manage the cloud, schedule jobs and handle tasks like metering energy usage while allowing end users to view and access the full set of HPC resources available to them in the cloud;
• HPC  cloud implementation service from IBM: A new quick-start service to help install, configure and optimize a private or private hosted cloud with system administrator training to help ensure ongoing success; and
• IBM Intelligent Cluster solutions: An integrated, optimized HPC cluster solution with servers, storage and switches -- all factory-integrated, tested and delivered ready to plug into the data center.

"IBM is currently the only major vendor to offer a private cloud solution for high performance computing, which can enable clients to more easily and systematically exploit their HPC assets for important research and development," said Brian Connors, vice president of high performance computing, IBM. "Today's announcement is an evolution of IBM's cloud strategy and delivery capabilities with workload and industry optimized cloud solutions targeted at delivering client-ready clouds to help reduce costs, optimize resources and accelerate success."

The new HPC cloud offerings from IBM complement the IBM SmartCloud -- an enterprise-class, secure cloud platform specifically created to meet the demands of businesses -- by extending IBM's experience and success with cloud computing projects to technical users.

IBM Engineering Solutions for Cloud

IBM will also offer industry specific versions of the HPC cloud offerings starting with the IBM Engineering Solutions for Cloud, which is optimized for electronics companies and automotive and aerospace manufacturers.

High performance computing has the potential to spur innovative solutions to the challenges facing the global auto industry and the American manufacturing sector, according to a case study from the Council on Competitiveness. The Council found that HPC and computer-aided engineering is helping Ford Motor Company lead innovation in the industry, optimizing product development, creating high quality products and improving time-to-market.

The IBM Engineering Solutions for Cloud can enable electronics companies and automotive and aerospace manufacturers to ramp up HPC function as needed to support 2D and 3D product design cycles, helping improve their speed and dexterity in delivering new offerings and services to market. The Solutions include technology that has been commercialized after early deployment by the IBM Systems Development organization for use by over 3,000 globally distributed engineers to develop the POWER7 processor family. IBM cut developer costs in half and reduced the design cycle by six months.

The IBM Engineering Solutions for Cloud also include IBM Rational Software and Systems Engineering Solution, IBM Collaboration Hub, and 2D/3D accelerators to create a secure, well managed cloud optimized for engineering environments along with applications from ISV partners including ANSYS, Inc., Cadence Design Systems Exa Corporation and Magma Design Automation.

Availability

The new HPC cloud offerings and IBM Engineering Solutions for Cloud will be available in 3Q11.