Fujitsu Siemens Computers to provide Audi with crash simulation capability

Issued by Opportun(at)e for Fujitsu Siemens Computers
Johannesburg, 04 Jul 2001

Leading car manufacturer Audi has chosen Fujitsu Siemens Computers to provide the computing platform for its new strategic competence centre for crash simulations.

After evaluating several RISC- and Intel-based solutions, Audi decided on Fujitsu Siemens Computers` hpcLine system - also Intel-based - for simulating random crash situations. The system will be customised to meet Audi`s needs for scientific and technical applications, and will be an integrated Linux cluster system based on 52 Pentium III dual processor nodes and 24 Pentium 4 nodes.

Audi already use a 32 CPU hpcLine system of Fujitsu Siemens Computers to run simulations of electro-magnetic compliance, so they are confident that the 128 CPU system offers the best choice for their new strategic competence centre. Audi recently won a four-star safety rating for the latest A4 saloon in the Euro NCAP crash test and is keen to maintain its reputation for safety and technological development.

"The hpcLine Linux cluster has delivered excellent benchmark results for Audi-specific application benchmarks and has proven to be highly competitive in pricing," said Karl Huber, CAE-System Manager of Audi.

"In addition, Fujitsu Siemens Computers was qualified by proving a highly integrated IT-competence (hardware and Linux-Operating System) for ensuring a high availability and reliability of the hpcLine system in productive operation."

Eric Schnepf, Manager of High Performance Computing at Fujitsu Siemens Computers, explained: "The benefit of offering such a wide range of high performance components means that Fujitsu Siemens Computers can provide flexible, scalable configurations in a variety of scientific fields such as fluid dynamics and computer-aided engineering. This flexibility is demonstrated by the two very different solutions from the hpcLine that Audi is currently using in its technical development, the 32 CPU system and now additionally the 128 CPU system."

The hpcLine is a very compact, rack-integrated, Intel-based Linux cluster system for scientific/engineering applications. A full portfolio of high-performance and system components permits scalable configurations ranging from starter kits with eight compute nodes through to systems with hundreds of processors. Compute node variants are available with Dual Intel Pentium III, Intel Pentium 4 and Dual Intel Itanium; each variant is based on standard components of the PRIMERGY servers or CELSIUS workstations. A high-speed network (SCI or Myrinet) is also available as an option.

Customers of Fujitsu Siemens Computers high performance computing systems vary from enterprises in the automotive industry to universities and research institutions.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers

Fujitsu Siemens Computers is the leading European computer company and offers one of the world`s most complete product and solution portfolios.

Its world-leading technology and innovative IT products span the entire range of personal computing and enterprise computing needs. With extensive manufacturing facilities in Germany and more than 7 000 employees serving our customers, the company operates in 25 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers offers unrivalled expertise in enterprise computing with best-in-class Intel- and Unix-based servers, mainframes and enterprise storage solutions. The company is also one of the leading providers of professional PCs, notebooks and workstations to business customers, and is Europe`s leading supplier of PCs for home users and small offices.

Fujitsu Siemens Computers is jointly owned by Fujitsu Limited and Siemens AG, and benefits from the combined strengths and innovation of its parent companies. The global cooperation between Fujitsu and Siemens provides access to a worldwide network of service and integration partners as well as more than 80 000 specialists dedicated to the Fujitsu Siemens Computers product and solutions portfolio.

The company has clearly defined its strategic direction, focusing on Business Critical Computing and Mobility solutions as the key drivers of the e-business and the Internet age. Business-Critical Computing builds on the core competencies of Fujitsu Siemens Computers and guarantees extremely scalable, secure and always-on IT infrastructures for both current and future e-business environments.

The company is also addressing the dramatically increasing demand for advanced solutions that support the mobility of users with anytime access to Internet services and applications - independent of location and device. For further information, please visit: www.fujitsu-siemens.com

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