Thursday, 30 August 2007

IBM Unveils Second Cell Blade For High Performance Computing

IBM has introduced a new version of computing system based on the Cell Broadband Engine (Cell/B.E.)— the IBM BladeCenter QS21— that delivers twice the memory...

IBM has introduced a new version of computing system based on the Cell Broadband Engine (Cell/B.E.)— the IBM BladeCenter QS21— that delivers twice the memory, density and I/O throughput as well as enhances power efficiency and the ability to work with existing IT infrastructure.

The IBM BladeCenter QS21 allows a customer to fit a maximum of 14 IBM BladeCenter QS21's per BladeCenter chassis, effectively doubling the compute density.

As well the QS21 offers an additional two gigabytes of I/O buffer memory, a feature that was not available on the previous version of the product. The I/O throughput of the IBM BladeCenter QS21 -- a measurement of the ability for data to travel in and out of the system -- supports 16 lanes of single data rate Infiniband.

These new products, to be available in October, will bring the multicore acceleration technology made possible by the Cell/B.E. processor to clients and developers in a wide range of industries, including those that create and run highly visual, graphic and immersive, real-time applications such as 3D rendering, compression, and encryption.

Multicore acceleration is the ability to harness the power of multiple computing cores to manage these specific types of applications with a high degree of power and cost efficiency.

"With the QS21 customers benefit from an evolution of Cell/B.E.-based blade server technology that incorporates not only twice the memory and density, but can now function either as a standalone blade server, or as a seamless addition to existing POWER or x86-based system," said Jim Comfort, vice president for Optimised Systems, IBM Global Engineering Solutions. "Coupled with the new Cell/B.E. Software Development Kit, which streamlines application development, we've introduced a package that will allow more businesses to benefit from the proven power of the Cell/B.E. processor."