New Power for Designers

High-performance computing (HPC), once the domain of the upper reaches of science and engineering, has grown dramatically more affordable in recent years. Not only is HPC more affordable, it is also simpler, with few special support and training requirements while offering capabilities heretofore available to only a small number of organizations.

Of course, the definition of HPC is a moving target. The giant pioneer "electronic brains" of the 1950s and 1960s, now long-since eclipsed by the average desktop, were the HPC machines of their day.  More recently HPC has often been understood to refer to powerful clusters, well suited to tackling large and complex problems. Today, high-performance workgroup computing clusters are now more available and affordable than ever and require less special support and training.  The underlying technology is rarely proprietary and instead leverages processors from leading manufacturers such as Intel and AMD. And on the software side, proprietary operating systems are also in eclipse, with Unix, Linux and Windows-based machines dominating.

Moore's Law and growing skills in building and designing clusters have been helping to make HPC ever-more affordable. Nowadays, in terms of compute density and power efficiency, HPC offers more performance in a given "footprint" with less power requirements than ever before. Furthermore, high-performance workgroup computing clusters now require less special support and training, making them an easy way to augment a traditional workstation environment to provide users greatly improved computational performance.

A recently released study from IDC and the Council on Competitiveness underscores this trend. Titled "Reflect: Council on Competitiveness and USC-ISI In-Depth Study of Technical Computing End Users and HPC," the study found 48 percent of the surveyed firms (in the aerospace, automotive, government, energy, chemical, heavy manufacturing, medical and electronics industries) believed HPC could dramatically boost their competitiveness. Furthermore, most of these companies acknowledged having important problems they cannot solve with their current computers.

"HPC is a game-changing technology and earlier Council studies confirm it is essential to the business survival of the companies that have embraced it," says Council on Competitiveness Vice President Suzy Tichenor, who heads the organization's High Performance Computing Initiative.

The Council's High Performance Computing Initiative aims to encourage wider usage of HPC across the private sector. They also supported creation of several HPC case studies, one of which, "Customized Catalysts to Improve Crude Oil Yields: Getting More Bang from Each Barrel," sponsored by the Department of Energy's Office of Science, documented the economic benefits of HPC-driven innovation.

Indeed, when HPC and simulation are put to work, the results boil down to faster time to results in computational modeling, the ability to do more iterations on engineering and scientific simulations and the ability to do much higher quality and higher accuracy modeling and simulation. In short, with affordable HPC readily available, simulation products from vendors like Presagis and Ansys are becoming part of mainstream engineering activity and are changing business.

For example, Keith Sansalone, advanced research engineer at Cooper Tire & Rubber in Findlay, Ohio, says the expanded application of HPC in recent years at his company has been a huge boost in the highly competitive tire market. The installation of two entry-level HPC machines about four years ago allowed tire tread designs to be put through practical simulations for the first time. "Now we are looking at the possibility of adding a cluster of Linux-based machines to greatly expand the way we use simulation technology," he says.

Indeed, within many vertical industries, the development of affordable HPC promises to 'rewrite the rules' on engineering productivity and in terms of the quality and nature of design solutions that can be achieved. In short, HPC is here and now and organizations ignoring its potential do so at their peril. Just as the slide rule was long-ago superseded by the scientific calculator and specialized engineering programs, HPC is about to empower a new generation of engineering leadership for the companies that embrace its potential.

As one expert says, "It boils down to competitiveness. The fundamental process of engineer hasn't changed but the ability to perform virtual product development gives companies the chance to get to market faster with better, more reliable product - and products that better meet the needs of customers."