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  7. FUJITSU AND A*STAR’s IHPC ENTER COLLABORATIVE R&D PARTNERSHIP TO USHER IN ERA OF PETASCALE COMPUTING IN SINGAPORE

Fujitsu Asia Pte Ltd


FUJITSU AND A*STAR’s IHPC ENTER COLLABORATIVE R&D PARTNERSHIP TO USHER IN ERA OF PETASCALE COMPUTING IN SINGAPORE

Partnership will leverage on Southeast Asia’s fastest supercomputer to develop advanced solutions for key industries in Singapore


Tokyo and Singapore, January 19, 2010 — 1. Fujitsu and the Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR)’s Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) announced today an R&D partnership to jointly develop advanced applications technologies for the next generation of scientific computing known as petascale computing.

2. Petascale computing, using sophisticated supercomputers able to undertake a quadrillion (1015) calculations per second, will provide unprecedented computing capability to solve highly complex and challenging scientific and engineering problems. To enable the effective use of the immense compute power of petascale supercomputers, a new set of compatible software applications will need to be built.

3. A joint team of 20 IHPC and Fujitsu researchers will develop scalable algorithms for petascale computing in the areas of computational fluid dynamics and materials science. To do so, the team will harness the compute power of Fujitsu supercomputer system comprising a cluster of Fujitsu PRIMERGY BX900 blade servers with a peak performance of over 35 teraflops(1) (TFlops) and 91.8 % efficiency(2) with LINPACK program(3). This is the first installation of a Fujitsu PRIMERGY BX900-based supercomputer outside of Japan. This system, housed at A*STAR’s Computational Resource Centre (A*CRC) at Fusionopolis, will be amongst the top tier of supercomputer sites in the world and the most powerful in Southeast Asia.

4. The R&D in petascale computing applications will enable a very high degree of fidelity and accuracy, in the study of highly complex real and engineering systems. This know-how will lead to innovative and cutting-edge solutions for advanced applications in diverse areas such as chemicals to infocommunications and electronics. It can also address a wider range of large-scale scenarios from weather modeling to studies on infectious diseases.

5. Said Mr. Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman, A*STAR: “I am delighted to welcome Fujitsu into the research community at Fusionopolis and to A*STAR. This partnership will enable both parties to develop further capabilities to drive advances in high-performance computing. Over the years, A*STAR and Fujitsu have enjoyed close collaborations on R&D in the physical sciences, and I look forward to working with Fujitsu to expand these to also include the biomedical sciences. I am confident that such strategic partnerships will push the frontiers of research, enhance Fujitsu’s ability to stay relevant and competitive, and also enable Singapore to harness innovation for the benefit of key industry sectors.”

6. Said Dr. Raj Thampuran, Executive Director, IHPC: ”Petascale computing is the new frontier in high-performance computing and will open avenues to solve complex problems in the physical and life sciences, as well as engineering. IHPC’s expertise in computational science and engineering complements Fujitsu’s skills in developing new architectures. We are privileged to partner with Fujitsu in this exciting endeavour.”

7. Mr. Koichi Hironishi, Corporate Senior Executive Vice President, Fujitsu Limited, added: “Fujitsu is honored to collaborate with A*STAR and to contribute to the development of Singapore as the R&D hub of the region. We look forward to building a long-term collaboration to realize the potential of petascale computing and beyond in Singapore. The deployment of this supercomputer is an important first step.”

8. “Since we started operations in Singapore, we have positioned the country as the showcase for the rest of Asia by introducing the best IT solutions and practices from our global experience to local customers and industry partners. This collaboration is the latest milestone in a series of contributions towards Singapore’s continued economic success, and demonstrates our ability to value-add to the nation through strategic partnerships with industry prime movers such as A*STAR,” added Mr. Masaki Kajiyama, President of Singapore operations at Fujitsu Asia.


(1). Teraflops: One trillion floating point operations per second.

(2). Computing efficiency: The ratio of actual execution performance against theoretical performance.

(3). LINPACK: A program for measuring computer performance. The LINPACK benchmark is the standard used by the TOP500 project which compares the performance of supercomputers.


Encl. : PDF Factsheet on IHPC-Fujitsu Collaboration


About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences, and physical sciences and engineering research institutes, and seven consortia & centre, which are located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis, as well as their immediate vicinity. A*STAR supports Singapore's key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the universities, hospitals, research centres, and with other local and international partners. For more information about A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg

About the Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC)

As a national research institute supported by A*STAR through its Science and Engineering Council (SERC), the Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) was established in April 1998 to provide leadership in high performance computing as a strategic resource for scientific inquiry. IHPC seeks to power discoveries through advanced methodologies, techniques and new tools in modelling, simulation and visualisation. Its core research focus are in the realm of complex-coupled systems, mechanics and fluid dynamics, large-scale systems, digital modelling, adaptive and collaborative computing, data mining and analyses, computational electronics and electromagnetics, computational material and chemistry. For more information about IHPC, please visit www.ihpc.a-star.edu.sg

About Fujitsu

About Fujitsu Fujitsu is a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 175,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$47 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com

About Fujitsu Asia

Fujitsu Asia was established in Singapore in 1997 to provide leadership in business development, technology innovation and customer support as regional headquarters for the Fujitsu group of companies in ASEAN. Building on Fujitsu’s three decades of experience in the ASEAN region and with a pool of highly skilled engineering talent, Fujitsu Asia is dedicated to providing comprehensive integrated IT-based business solutions that deliver tangible business value and enable customers to meet the challenges of the new global economy. Fujitsu Asia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-based Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702), a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. For details, please visit: http://sg.fujitsu.com


Press Contacts

Ms. Tan Le-Shon
Assistant Head, Corporate Communications

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Tel: (65) 6826-6144
E-mail:Tan_Le-Shon@a-star.edu.sg

Address:
1 Fusionopolis Way, #20-10, Connexis North
Singapore
138632

Mr. Ravi Varaharmurthy
Senior Manager, Industry Development

Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC)
Tel: (65) 6419-1204
E-mail:ravi@ihpc.a-star.edu.sg

Address:
1 Fusionopolis Way #16-16, Connexis North
Singapore
138632

Ms. Esther Loh
Deputy Director, Marketing

Fujitsu Asia Pte Ltd
Tel: (65) 6512-7615
E-mail:eloh@sg.fujitsu.com

Address:
20 Science Park Road, #03-37, TeleTech Park
Singapore Science Park II
Singapore
117674

Mr. Steven Ng / Ms. Jasmine Goh

Mileage Communications (for Fujitsu Asia)
Tel: (65) 6222-1678
E-mail:steven@mileage.com.sg / jasmine@mileage.com.sg

Address:
52B Club Street, Mileage House
Singapore
069429


All other company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice.