SGI launches Altix 3000 Supercluster in Middle East

SGI has achieved this feat with an exclusive suite of tools and features designed to maximize performance on the most demanding technical and scientific applications. Offered exclusively for its SGI® AltixTM 3000 family of servers and superclusters, SGI's software environment also offers a unique capability for Linux clusters - global shared memory across cluster nodes - raising the bar for open source computing and creating the most powerful Intel Itanium 2 processor-based computing environment in the marketplace.

"This new machines gives further computational power and more power per dollar to Middle East companies using high performance computers for their technical computing needs, especially in the oil industry," said Gilbert Soufan, territory manager with SGI Middle East & Africa. "For the first time, developers can advance beyond any perceived limits of Linux to tackle their most data-intensive problems with high-performance 64-bit solutions on massively scalable, big memory systems."

Farhad Patel, e-business manager of Intel, MENA added: "SGI has developed a very capable solution based on the Intel Itanium 2 processor. The initial benchmarks demonstrate the performance and scalability of the product. Customers looking for an affordable yet powerful and reliable solution will benefit from these new Intel Itanium 2 based servers from SGI."

A key component of SGI's software suite is the SGI ProPackTM, a new set of high-performance Linux optimizations that enhance overall system scaling, data handling and resource management, while maintaining binary compatibility with existing 64-bit Linux applications running on the Intel Itanium 2 processor. Additionally, a complement of SGI® file sharing and data migration tools enables technical and creative professionals to optimize workflows and manage their largest and most complex data.

The SGI Altix 3000 has already produced record-setting results on high-performance computing benchmarks over the highest-end offerings from its competitors. In January 2003, SGI received 'Best of Show' honors at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo 2003. The highly coveted recognition was awarded to SGI for extending the supercomputing capabilities of Linux® with the new SGI Altix superclusters.

The SGI Altix 3000 superclusters work like supercomputers because they are the world's first clusters providing global shared memory across nodes and operating systems. Supercomputers typically require massive amounts of global shared memory to tackle complicated models, like global climate prediction or wind tunnel simulations for aircraft design, which cannot be easily solved in smaller pieces. The marriage of global shared memory and the Linux operating system creates amazing breakthrough opportunities for technical users on a standards-based platform that is built like a cluster yet works like a supercomputer.