ClusterVision Completes First AMD Dual Core Opteron™ Cluster in the UK at the CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

ClusterVision have completed full installation of the Minerals and Ceramics high performance computing facility, known by the project name of MOTT-2. With the agreement between the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils and AMD, ClusterVision have been the first Linux cluster specialist to deliver and install AMD's dual core technology to a number of nodes within the cluster.

The cluster is situated at the CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Dr Peter Oliver from the CCLRC e-Science Centre explains: "The High Performance Computing Services Group has a wealth of experience in providing scientific computing via the Grid and was ideally placed to specify, procure and install the Mott-2 cluster on behalf of the Minerals and Ceramics consortium which is lead by Prof. Steve Parker at the University of Bath"

The Consortium includes members from across the UK to Ireland and Perth in Australia. Professor Parker explained that, "Essentially the cluster will be used to develop and apply new simulation techniques to understand, control and design interfaces of technologically important materials at the atomic scale." The members of the consortium will tackle a variety of materials and a broad range of problems including radiation damage and storage of nuclear waste.

"The nature of the science demands a significant parallel capability and after a competitive tender ClusterVision was chosen as the cluster supplier," commented Dr Oliver, adding "MOTT-2 comprises 128 AMD Opteron 248 processors, 128GB memory and a low latency (7 microseconds), high bandwidth (230MB/s) interconnect from Myrinet. With the technical references provided by ClusterVision, the cluster management and monitoring tools within the ClusterVisionOS™ and the working relationship with AMD we were assured on every level of the procurement that ClusterVision provided the best and most complete solution. Several of the nodes within the MOTT-2 Cluster have now been installed with AMD's new dual core technology to evaluate their performance in a diverse production environment and we are very happy with the results so far."

"This win is significant and we are delighted that the CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory will become the first UK research laboratory implementing AMD dual core Opteron processors. Just as AMD led the industry to 64-bit computing, this is another milestone in AMD's established history of working with leading universities and research institutions that require innovative, high performance and reliable computing solutions," said Gianluca Degliesposti, Director Business Development EMEA. "The performance benefits of the AMD dual core Opteron processor, combined with ClusterVision's cluster technology expertise, will offer CCLRC a powerful system for its scientific research needs."

About CCLRC

The Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils is one of eight UK research councils, and is one of Europe's largest multidisciplinary research organisations supporting scientists and engineers world-wide. It operates world-class large-scale research facilities across its three sites in the UK, with its head office based at the largest of these - the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.

The CCLRC e-Science Centre is charged with spearheading the exploitation of e-Science technologies throughout CCLRC's programmes, the research communities they support and the national science and engineering base. The e-Science Centre is strategically committed to scientific computing and the grid.

About ClusterVision

ClusterVision are specialists in the design, implementation and support of large-scale computer clusters. Their clustering technology provides an alternative to traditional supercomputing by connecting multiple computers to form a unified computing system. ClusterVision's technical and sales team have designed and built some of the largest and most complex computational, storage and database clusters in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. With a background in applied scientific research and practical experience with a wide range of supercomputer technologies the team understands customers' requirements and provides tailor-made solutions.

The company works together with the University of Amsterdam, which is also a shareholder in ClusterVision through its technology transfer company, PCC. ClusterVision's customers include government organisations and industries which benefit from chemical modelling, financial modelling, drug discovery, biotechnical research, oil and gas exploration and many more where there is a need for large-scale compute power, data processing and storage capacity. In the United Kingdom customers include Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Imperial College London and the Universities of Oxford, Durham and Leeds. In the Netherlands ClusterVision has carried out projects for Delft Hydraulics, TNO and the Universities of Groningen, and Amsterdam, amongst others.

http://www.clustervision.com/pr_mott2_uk.html