Cray Selected to Provide Supercomputing Services to Kyoto University

By DE Editors

Cray Inc. has been selected to provide a new supercomputer to the Academic Center for Computing and Media Studies (ACCMS) at Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan. Cray has been chosen to deliver a 300-teraflops Cray XE6 supercomputer in 2012 and a 400-teraflops next-generation Cray supercomputer code-named “Cascade” in 2014.

The new Cray system at Kyoto University will be operated by researchers and engineers at the ACCMS, which conducts research and development related to the advanced use of information technology infrastructure and information media. ACCMS has four research departments for networking, multimedia oriented educational computer systems, academic digital contents, and supercomputing.

The Cray XE6 supercomputer combines Cray’s Gemini system interconnect with AMD Opteron processors. The Cray XE6 system features a scalable software environment and the ability to run a broad array of ISV applications with the latest version of the Cray Linux Environment.

Cray’s next-generation Cascade supercomputer will feature a continuing evolution of the Cray Linux Environment, Cray’s HPC-optimized programming environment, a next-generation interconnect chipset follow-on to Gemini and support for future Intel Xeon processors. The Cascade supercomputer is made possible in part by Cray’s participation in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) High Productivity Computing Systems program.

The Cray XE6 supercomputer is expected to go into production in the first half of 2012. The second phase of the contract, the delivery of the Cascade system, is expected to be completed in 2014.  While Cray has been selected to provide these systems to the ACCMS, Cray and Kyoto University have not yet finalized the contract for the procurement of these systems and the purchases remain subject to the parties’ ability to finalize the contract.

For more information, visit Kyoto University and Cray.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.