MILPITAS, Calif., Nov. 1 — SGI (NASDAQ: SGI), a global leader in high-performance solutions for compute, data analytics, and data management, announced that the United States Department of Defense (DoD) has selected SGI ICE XA for two of its Army Research Laboratory Defense Supercomputing Resource Center (ARL DSRC) systems. The upgrades are part of a technology insertion, known as TI-16, for their High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP).

HPCMP delivers world-class commercial, high-end, high-performance computational capabilities to DoD’s Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) community through its five DoD Supercomputing Resource Centers (DSRCs).

With HPC technology, DoD scientists and engineers can utilize physics-based simulations to achieve better understanding of a variety of phenomena affecting national defense. The upgraded systems also allow quick data searches that are generated from field tests across a wide spectrum of military operations. Powerful supercomputers help with data quality, increasing situational awareness, and advancing soldier performance with live and virtual data analytics. The new SGI systems will be leveraged to scale algorithms, increase real-time experimental data processing and methods for live-virtual simulations.

The agreement for ARL DSRC system #1 values at $8.9 million, and ARL DSRC system #2 at $17.6 million.

SGI was also awarded four annual maintenance options over the next four years, allowing DoD to leverage its world-class professional services available 24/7. The work for both systems will be performed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of April 24, 2021. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, has been delegated contracting authority for these agreements.

Technical Information

• ARL DSRC system #1 will deploy SGI ICE XA with quad node blade and E-Cell technology, utilizing the 22-core Intel Xeon processor E5-2699 v4 to achieve peak compute power
• ARL DSRC system #1 will be comprised of 33,088 compute cores offering 1.16 Petaflops capability, a Mellanox Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) as a 1:1 non-blocking Fat-Tree with 3.4 PB usable storage based on SGI InfiniteStorage 5600i technology
• ARL DSRC system #2 will deploy SGI ICE XA comprised of 73,920 Intel Xeon processor E5-2698 v4 compute cores, offering 2.6 Petaflops capability, a Mellanox Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)-based 1:1 non-blocking Fat-Tree and 11.8 PB usable storage based on SGI InfiniteStorage 5600i technology

“We’re excited to partner with SGI for our TI-16 DoD program, and have full confidence in the system’s ability to provide excellent performance,” said Dr. Raju Namburu, director of ARL DSRC. “Choosing the right HPC partners is crucial, as we rely on supercomputing and large-scale analytics and predictive sciences to provide the competitive edge we need to maintain our position as the nation’s premier laboratory for land forces.” “We believe that the two SGI systems will bring a unique capability to solve DoD’s most challenging problems” said Thomas Kendall, technical director of ARL DSRC. “The combination of a non-blocking, fat-tree topology, based on the recently available 100 Gbps EDR technology and the newest server CPU technology will enable a wide range of applications to consistently achieve high levels of performance.”

“DoD’s annual, recurring investment in HPC is a testament to its belief in the power and strategic value of supercomputing,” said Jorge Titinger, president and CEO, SGI. “Expanding our partnership with ARL DSCR is the result of our record of exceptional HPC performance with previous DoD systems. We have had a healthy long-standing relationship with HPCMP over the last two decades, and we remain committed to delivering to DoD new innovative technology and the highest level of service and management. We look forward to continuing our partnership with one of the most important institutions in our nation.”

About SGI

SGI is a global leader in high-performance solutions for compute, data analytics, and data management that enable customers to accelerate time to discovery, innovation, and profitability. Visit sgi.com for more information.

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Source: SGI