The Summer Solstice kicked off an interesting week featuring two computing conferences that at first glance seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum.  From June 23 to June 26: the International Supercomputing Conference in Hamburg, with a focus on bleeding edge, high performance computing (HPC).  June 25: the GigaOM Network presents a premiere event for Cloud Computing and Internet infrastructure, Structure09 in San Francisco (I’ll post more on my thoughts from this conference tomorrow).

Now you might ask, “what do these events have in common?”  The answer ─the heart and soul of both HPC and Cloud Computing is the “compute cluster” -an approach that links groups of computers together and has been driven into mainstream by x86 computers.  And while the applications these clusters are driving and the data they are delivering might be drastically different – there are some basic commonalities on an infrastructure level.

Both types of clusters thrive on multi-core processors. More cores typically deliver more compute capabilities that can translate into performing more calculations for the HPC world and handling more transactions for the Cloud world. Power consumption is a nagging problem since larger and more powerful clusters commonly eat up a lot of energy and demand a lot of cooling. Both are driving new advancements in our digital world:  HPC clusters help us solve some of today’s most complex problems while cloud computing provides the framework for searching and sharing the answers. And, of course, there is this bothersome economy influencing how many servers can be added to any type of data center.

So, what is AMD doing to design for both types of clusters? We continue to drive a balance of price, performance, and power into our processor architectures. Our server processor road map demonstrates an understanding of the real needs of both HPC and cloud clusters.  Our G34 platforms, under the platform name of “Maranello,” are designed for expandability and performance. Our C32 platforms, under the platform name “San Marino,” help provide the low cost and power consumption that many cloud providers require.

 I spent time last month in AMD’s Bellevue office and met with a talented group of AMD engineers who are working on further developing their understanding of the hardware and software requirements for cloud computing so they can further optimize AMD processor-based platforms. As a company we are continuing our efforts to help refine the underlying technology that will enable both types of clusters in the future─toward the goal of improved platform  power efficiency,  software methodologies to efficiently drive  heterogeneous cores, enhanced graphics capabilities for improved user experience, and the continued maturation of virtualization for x86-based computers.

My colleague John Fruehe published a blog that takes a closer look at why he believes the AMD Opteron^TM processor is ideal for supercomputing.  I will similarly be posting a blog on cloud computing and giving you my first hand view of the Structure09 conference.

I can’t resist ending on a HPC note – particularly since, in a galaxy far away (it was actually last century), I was a part of the HPC community, working at the Maui High Performance Computing Center. Take a close look at the Top500 list and notice that AMD Opteron processors are in the #1 and #2 supercomputers – as are 9 of the top 20 computers. At AMD we design for innovation and quality!

Let me know your thoughts – what similarities do you see between HPC and Cloud clusters?

Margaret Lewis, director, AMD commercial software and solutions

Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD. Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.

@margaretjlewis