Region˙s first supercomputer launched
High computing powers to benefit oil and gas sector
By Karen Remo-Listana
Posted: 18 December 2006
 Send this article
 Print this article
The United Arab Emirates joins the supercomputing world by launching the first supercomputer centre in the region.
 The On Demand Supercomputing Centre, based on IBM˙s Blue Gene system has huge computing powers equivalent to 5.7 Teraflops of processing power or 5.7 trillion mathematical operations per second.
It will benefit the workloads in seismic processing and upstream reservoir modeling as well as enhance pre-stack migration, pre-stack depth migration and three dimensional reservoir modeling in petrochemicals.
The system which was launched yesterday by the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT), the UAE˙s leading technology and research organisation will also be used to enhance research and development in other sectors such as banking and finance, life sciences and seismology.
Supercomputers used to be available only in the US , Europe and Japan . CERT˙s Blue Gene is the first time in the Middle East and North Africa and is now in the list of the world˙s fastest supercomputers.
´This is about a five million dollar investment,ˇ Robert Richards, CEO of CERT told Pipeline. ´Not that entire amount is for the computer itself. That includes the front end to the computer which provides the interface from the computer power to the application, the cooling power and the specialised room.ˇ
 The system has its own electrical supply and own bank of batteries. ´It˙s because you cannot have this machine ever go down. We have 24 hours back up power in the event that of an electrical interruption,ˇ he added.
The IBM eServer Blue Gene system is scalable to have three more racks. The Lawrence Livermore Blue Gene/L system, based in the US , is the world˙s most powerful supercomputer.
The centre will expand this year to include additional racks of Blue Gene L and will eventually have one of the first global installations of Blue Gene P. ´We now have a single rack which is the 140 th fastest in the world and three more racks will certainly put us on the top on the 20 spot,ˇ Richards said.
He said lead scientists of Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi have approached them recognising the additional opportunity from Blue Gene beyond what the region˙s current technology can provide.
´We are addressing a shortage on supercomputers, and we would like to capitalise on that,ˇ Dr Tayeb Kamali, Vice Chairman, CERT said. ´Oil companies now have their technology but I don˙t think that they have the same level as Blue Gene provides.ˇ
´We are going to have special presentations to the oil sectors not only to the UAE but to Saudi Aramco, Kuwait and other oil companies.ˇ
Kevin Reardon, Vice President Business Development, IBM, added: ´There˙s a need to bridge a gap that has been present for a long time and there˙s also a need for an education process. Supercomputing with a Blue Gene gives a new dimension on what CERT can do in the region and through out the world.ˇ |
