AMD & Dell Announce Joint Benchmark Cluster

AMD (NYSE: AMD) and Dell enable Quad-Core AMD Opteron™ processor-based benchmarking solutions at the Steinbuch Centre SCC for Computing which is part of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. Customers will now be able to test their specific high performance computing (HPC) applications free of charge on the latest Quad-Core AMD Opteron Model 2384 processors. These processors are part of the product line codenamed “Shanghai”. The new benchmarking cluster helps HPC customers to identify ideal server configurations tailored to their specific needs before making a buying decision. The installation features a 14 node, two-socket Dell PowerEdge server-based cluster with QLogic interconnect and code optimisation via PGI compilers.

“This support from AMD, Dell and others enables the perfect showcase platform for customers to experience firsthand the superior performance and performance-per-watt advantages of the latest Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor platforms,” said Giuseppe Amato, technical director EMEA at AMD. “HPC customers now have the ability to determine the configuration that best suits their needs and allows them to take advantage of the enhancements in our latest Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor.”

Commenting on the collaboration with KIT, Bart Mellenbergh, HPC Business Manager, Dell, said, “The joint support for the benchmark centre at KIT demonstrates how the AMD and Dell technology partnership is greatly benefiting the HPC community. We now have the opportunity to work more closely with our customers, and contribute to both the technical and commercial focus of our wide HPC customer base. Dell is committed to simplifying HPC by boosting performance, lowering power and increasing productivity to solve complex problems in various industries.”

QLogic, a leader in high performance networking, will also be working with AMD and Dell to support the Steinbuch Centre SCC for Computing at KIT with InfiniBand host channel adapters, switches, and management tools. Henrick Hansen, EMEA Marketing Director, QLogic added, “We are proud to be a part of this new environment. The combination of QLogic InfiniBand technology and Quad-Core AMD processors will enable HPC class performance and scalability in the cluster environment.”

“PGI is extremely pleased to be a part of this new joint effort by AMD and Dell,” said Douglas Miles, director, The Portland Group, “we look forward to working with Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and their users to deliver optimal performance on key benchmarks and applications using PGI compilers & tools.”

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (www.kit.edu) is a leading European institution of research and widely regarded for its excellence in academia. Frank Schmitz, Steinbuch Centre for Computing, Department Scientific Computing and Applications, KIT, commented: “For market leaders such as AMD and Dell to invest in SCC KIT is a testament to the high research and educational standards that are found at Karlsruhe.”