Intel, AMD chips power most of the world's fastest supercomputers

Servers This newsletter is sponsored by SWSoft Templates for More Efficient Virtualization Management SWsoft Virtuozzo, an OS level server virtualization product, addresses the challenges faced by today's datacenters through its unique template-based approach to software provisioning. Using templates, administrators can consolidate OS and application management so that only a single instance of a software package is required and managed on a physical machine regardless of the number of virtual environments that use the software. Network World's Servers Newsletter, 07/03/07 Intel, AMD chips power most of the world’s fastest supercomputers By Jennifer Mears The Top500 list of the world’s fastest supercomputers was released June 23 and the list reflects how high performance computing is changing. Once reserved for the most complex of computing problems, HPC is now finding its way into more corporate data centers to handle tasks such as risk analysis. The reason is that this extreme computing power is becoming more affordable. Consider also, that industry standard processors – those made by Intel and AMD – are found in more than three-quarters of the systems listed in the Top500. Sure, IBM’s BlueGene/L System at DOE’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory holds the No 1. spot for the fourth time, but the number of industry standard systems running Linux is on the rise. The Top500 says that 289 systems, or nearly 60%, use Intel processors, up from 261 systems six months ago. Opteron processors are found in 105, or 21%, of the top 500 supercomputer sites, down from 113 six months ago. But overall, the number of dual-core Intel and AMD processors is growing. Manage Insider Security Threats Experts say 75% of security threats come from inside your organization. Watch the latest Network World Editorial Perspectives Webcast today, "Security From the Inside," and learn which technologies and processes best protect your intellectual property and assets inside the perimeter. Click Here to View As far as vendors go, HP, for the first time, outpaced IBM to hold the lead in the total number of HPC sites on the list. HP systems make up nearly 41% of the list, compared to 32% six months ago. Its BladeSystem c-Class Servers accounted for 152 of the 203 HP installations. IBM now accounts for just 38% of the systems, down from 47% six months ago. IBM still leads in overall performance, however, and HP doesn’t have a system in the top 50. It’s clear that HP is taking a stronger interest in HPC. Just last week, HP announced an expanded partnership with Microsoft to combine its hardware with Microsoft Compute Cluster Server software. The idea is to make it easier for corporate users to deploy HPC clusters, HP executives say. Read more about the Top500 list here, get info about Sun’s new Constellation supercomputer here, and find out how IBM is going to push BlueGene even higher here. Do you need HPC in your data center? Let me know.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

TODAY'S MOST-READ STORIES: 1. The $2.3M home lab of Quadruple CCIE 2. Top 25 'iPhonies' 3. Harry Potter worm says he is dead 4. Withdrawn Black Hat paper hints at security flaws 5. iPhone buzz reaches to Microsoft's back yard 6. Lawyers show how to avoid hiring an American 7. 3Com to spin out TippingPoint 8. IPv6 D-Day is coming up fast 9. Gartner to IT: Avoid Apple's iPhone 10. Hackers target C-level execs and their families MOST E-MAILED STORY: How MySpace is hurting your network

Contact the author: Jennifer Mears is a freelance journalist based in Arizona. She was previously senior editor at Network World focusing on server issues. E-mail her at jlmears@gmail.com.   This newsletter is sponsored by SWSoft Templates for More Efficient Virtualization Management SWsoft Virtuozzo, an OS level server virtualization product, addresses the challenges faced by today's datacenters through its unique template-based approach to software provisioning. Using templates, administrators can consolidate OS and application management so that only a single instance of a software package is required and managed on a physical machine regardless of the number of virtual environments that use the software. ARCHIVE Archive of the Servers Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007