OCF plays its part in multimillion-pound HPC deal
VAR is primary reseller on collaboration project between IBM and the Science and Technology Facilities Council
VAR OCF has sealed its position as the primary reseller for a £30m deal to create a global centre for software development.
The agreement is the result of a collaboration between the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and IBM and marks the launch of the International Centre of Excellence for Computational Science and Engineering (ICE-CSE).
Storage vendor Data Direct Networks is also involved in the deal, supplying 7.2 Petabytes of raw storage for the development.
Under the initial three-year agreement, STFC will invest in IBM’s most advanced hardware systems including the BlueGene/Q and iDataplex, creating the most powerful supercomputer in the UK.
It is also billed as the most energy-efficient supercomputer in the UK, being eight times more efficient than most supercomputers, the firms claimed.
The systems will help the ICE-CSE to develop the necessary software to run on the next generation of supercomputers, providing UK academic and industrial communities with the tools they will need to make full use of the systems in the future.
Stephen Leonard, chief executive of IBM UK and Ireland, said: “The challenge facing many industries is to understand how to use the power of supercomputers. The IBM collaboration with the STFC will give UK industry exceptional access to world-class researchers to help unlock the potential of HPC as we look to solve key technical challenges faced by a broad range of sectors. By making HPC easier to use and more directly accessible to these industries, they will become more innovative and competitive. This will drive a rebalancing of the economy and an increase in revenue to the UK Treasury.”
Dave Fellinger, chief technology officer at Data Direct Networks, added: "STFC has built a first-rate supercomputing site in Daresbury and we are tremendously pleased to be part of it. We have a long history of supporting Top 100 sites requiring industry-leading performance, efficiency and scalability, and look forward to helping STFC enable breakthrough results."
Professor John Womersley, chief executive of STFC, said: “Our collaboration with IBM will allow industries to bring their problems to this centre, and to design, optimise and test new solutions on the UK's largest supercomputer. We are very excited to be working with IBM, and together we will establish a hub of innovation development to stimulate R&D-based investment. By hosting some of IBM’s most advanced supercomputers, we will develop the urgently needed software applications of the future, and support the economic and societal benefits we all wish to see from our work.”