Leading Swedish University Boosts Research Productivity with High-Performance Computing Cluster from Dell, Intel�® Corporation, Scali and Mellanox

KTH implements cost-effective alternative to supercomputer that has a 10-fold increase in processing capacity plus six times the memory capacity of previous technology

Bracknell, UK, 8 November, 2004 - PDC at Kungl. Tekniska Högskolan (KTH), the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, has selected Dell^TM, Scali and Mellanox to deliver a high-performance computing cluster (HPCC) based on the new Intel� Xeon^TM processor with Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T).

The new Dell PowerEdge^TM 1850 server cluster will have a peak speed 10 times that of the current fastest platform at PDC, available for research at Swedish academic institutions on behalf of the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC), and six times the memory capacity. The new cluster will serve both the Swedish academic research community at large, and a Theoretical Biochemistry group lead by Professor Per Siegbahn at Stockholm University and Professor Hans �gren at KTH. The new cluster was made possible by combining equipment funding for the Theoretical Biochemistry group from the KA Wallenberg Foundation with equipment funds from SNIC.

The new cluster will be the largest SNIC computing resource and will support complex calculations and analysis across the full range of academic research requiring large-scale computational resources for significant advances.

The robust solution comprises 442 server nodes, each equipped with a PowerEdge 1850 server with two 3.4 GHz Intel� Xeon� processors EM64T and 8 GB of memory. The cluster has a theoretical peak performance of 6 trillion floating point operations per second (TFLOPs). The nodes are interconnected with Mellanox InfiniBand technology and Scali's MPI using Intel's PCI Express bus.

"This new resource continues KTH's tradition of applying leading edge computing technology to innovative research in science and engineering for the benefit of industry and society at large," says KTH President, Anders Flodström. "Computational Science and Engineering are of highest priority at KTH and I am very pleased that we now will have one of the most powerful computers in Europe for academic research and have great confidence that substantial progress will be made," he continues.

The high-performance and exceptional value of the solution presented by Dell, Intel� Corporation, Mellanox and Scali were key factors in PDC's decision to select Dell for the system solution. Dr Lennart Johnsson, Director, PDC, says: "The Dell PowerEdge servers with PCI Express, Mellanox InfiniBand technology and Scali's MPI gives us unparalleled computing power for our budget. It was a very compelling solution. With the chosen technology we are very pleased to be able to provide a large-scale computing resource to Swedish academic users comparable with what is available to researchers in other European countries."

Dr Johnsson continues: "Both Dell and Intel have excellent reputations for quality products and their ability to work well together. It was also essential for our decision that Dell choose to work with leading vendors of cluster interconnection hardware and software technology, Mellanox and Scali, and took on the responsibility of system integrator."

"This new resource will make it possible for us to make a serious attack on some outstanding problems in computational biochemistry. We can research key areas such as the mechanisms for activation of molecular oxygen in the body and the reverse process of oxygen formation in green plants," say Professors Per Siegbahn and Hans Ågren.

Steve Smith, HPC Business Manager, Dell Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), says: "Dell's standards-based servers easily take advantage of new technologies at an affordable price point and strong relationships with best of breed strategic partners deliver a complete HPCC solution for our customers. Dell is the single point of contact on this project and has worked to provide the flexibility required to meet the customer's exact needs."

Tom Garrision, Enterprise Marketing, Intel EMEA, adds: "The Intel� Xeon� processors in place provide a high-performance solution for developers, offering premium memory capacity and support. These are ideally suited to KTH's exact requirements and supply the computing power the university needs to succeed in developing groundbreaking research activities."

About KTH
KTH (Kungl. Tekniska Högskolan) founded in 1827 is one of Europe's top universities for science and engineering education and research, graduating one-third of Sweden's undergraduate and graduate engineers in the full range of engineering disciplines. Enrollment is about 17,500 students, of which about 1,400 are pursuing PhD studies. KTH is home to a dozen competitively awarded national centers of excellence with several additional multi-disciplinary centers of excellence. For additional information see http://www.kth.se.

About PDC
PDC, founded in 1989, is the main centre for high-performance computing and visualization for the Swedish academic community. It has a record of successful early adoption of new technology for high-end users and extensive experience in developing and deploying security solutions and system administration tools in open environments, and a record of successful contributions to the Open Source community. For additional information see http://www.pdc.kth.se.

About Dell
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) is a premier provider of products and services required for customers worldwide to build their information-technology and Internet infrastructures. Company revenue for the past four quarters totalled $45.4 billion. Dell, through its direct business model, designs, manufactures and customises products and services to customer requirements, and offers an extensive selection of software and peripherals. Information on Dell and its products can be obtained at www.dell.com.

�© Dell Corporation Ltd. Dell, the Dell logo and PowerEdge are registered trademarks or trademarks of Dell Inc. Dell disclaims proprietary interest in the trademarks or trade names of other entities used to refer to them or their products.

About Intel
Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

Intel and Xeon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

About Mellanox
Mellanox's field-proven offering of interconnect solutions for communications, storage and compute clustering are changing the shape of both business and technical computing. As the leader of industry-standard, InfiniBand-based silicon and system solutions, Mellanox is the driving force behind the most cost-effective, highest performance interconnect solutions available. For more information visit www.mellanox.com

About Scali
Scali is a leader in delivering scalable, high-performance cluster software and solutions. Companies and institutions are able to leverage high performance and reliable parallel processing platforms while substantially reducing their technology investment and improving their price performance ratio. Scali has strategic relationships with industry leaders such as Dell, HP, IBM and Intel. Customers include companies such as DaimlerChrysler, Lockheed Martin, Saudi Aramco and Statoil. Founded in 1997, Scali has received venture funding from Atlas Venture, Four Seasons Venture, Intel Capital and Kongsberg Gruppen. The company is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with offices in France, Germany, Great Britain and the United States. (www.scali.com).