Cray to Work with Microsoft on Cloud Computing

By DE Editors

Cray Inc.’s custom engineering group will work with Microsoft Research to explore and prototype a system that could provide a glimpse into the future of cloud computing infrastructure.

The objective of the technology development initiative is to design a supercomputing architecture that dramatically lowers the total cost of ownership for cloud computing data centers. Cray’s custom engineering group’s goal is to design a system infrastructure that combines efficient power delivery, high-density packaging, and innovative cooling technologies. The solution is intended to significantly reduce facility, power, and hardware costs.

“This is an ideal project for our custom engineering group as it allows us to leverage our company’s intellectual property in system design and, most specifically, packaging and system infrastructure,” said Chuck Morreale, Cray’s vice president of custom engineering. “In addition to being an important opportunity for Cray, the results of the project have the potential to deliver significant cost savings for operating a cloud computing data center. We are excited to be working with Microsoft, and we are eager to apply our proven, industry-leading expertise to this project.”

“Our goal is to work with partners such as Cray to accelerate changes in system designs for next-generation data centers,” said Christian Belady, director of Hardware Architecture in Microsoft’s Extreme Computing Group. “Ultimately, our mission is to dramatically reduce total cost of ownership while significantly boosting performance.”

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