HPC in 2011

What is a computer cluster?

HPC is possible through the use of computer clusters. A cluster, in short, is a collection of individual compute nodes linked together so that applications you are running see them as "one" computer. The more nodes are clustered together in this way, the greater the computational performance of the entire system. Clusters can be composed of only a few nodes or many thousands of nodes, which makes them very versatile for a variety of applications.

Learn more about the components of HPC clusters.

Who uses computer clusters?

Historically, high-performance computers have been mostly used by supercomputing centers in well-funded universities to run the newest and most computationally-intensive software applications on earth. This is still a large market which continues to lead the way in technological innovation.

But HPC today is not just for the nation's largest supercomputing facilities. With new advances in processing and clustering software technology, even an organization of modest size can afford and benefit from an HPC system of computer clusters.

Many industries and academic disciplines - such as the life sciences, computer-aided engineering (CAE), computational finance, and computer-aided design (CAD), among others - have been upgrading their basic PC or WS (workstation) resources into more efficient computer clusters.

Do I need a computer cluster?

If you represent a large supercomputing center or laboratory that already relies on HPC, you may be interested in upgrading your hardware. Drawing on years of experience building custom HPC solutions for the nation's most advanced supercomputing labs, we at ICC will gladly talk to you about upgrading your current cluster or building a new one. We specialize in finding creative solutions for overcoming the I/O and storage bottlenecks hampering many high-end supercomputing clusters.

If you work for a smaller organization that doesn't have an ENIAC-sized dedicated supercomputer for your applications, don't worry. HPC can be just as beneficial for your business or small laboratory.

If you are currently spending hours or days waiting for computing jobs (such as mathematical models or design renderings) to run on your PC(s) or workstation(s), you could save time and money in the long-run by switching to the combined computational resources of a computer cluster.

ICC makes HPC easy. Our HPC cluster solutions combine the industry's most advanced hardware with an intuitive middleware solution that allows you to prioritize and run your computing jobs at speeds you could never approach with a workstation.

If you're interested in finding out more about an HPC solution that will help your organization not only stay competitive but lead the pack, talk to an ICC HPC expert today to find out more about how computing technology can serve you in 2011 and beyond.