Proof-of-concept from 3M, Intel and SGI can help reduce cooling energy costs by 95 percent
Super Computing Conference, NEW ORLEANS, LA – Nov. 18, 2014 – HPCwire recently named the proof-of-concept supercomputer developed by 3M in collaboration with Intel and SGI and cooled by 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluid as the “Best Application of Green Computing in HPC” in the annual HPCwire Readers’ and Editors’ Choice Awards. The awards were presented at the 2014 International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SC14), in New Orleans, La. and are posted online at http://www.HPCwire.com.
Unveiled earlier this year, the fully functional proof-of-concept supercomputer was developed with industry-standard hardware and software components from SGI and Intel, and cooled by a revolutionary two-phase immersion technology pioneered by 3M. SGI® ICE™ X, the fifth generation of the world’s fastest distributed memory supercomputer and the Intel® Xeon® processor E5-2600 v3 hardware are placed directly into a 3M Novec Engineered Fluid. The Novec fluid is an efficient dielectric that helps keep the hardware cooled with minimum additional energy, maximum performance and better reliability. 3M’s two-phase immersion cooling technology can reduce cooling energy costs by 95 percent and reduces water consumption by eliminating municipal water usage for evaporative cooling. Heat can also be harvested from the system and reused for heating and other process technologies such as desalination of sea water.
In-depth data acquisition and evaluation of this installation kicked off in April. Additionally, the companies are working with the Naval Research Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs and APC by Schneider Electric to deploy and evaluate an identical system with the intention to demonstrate the viability of the technology at any scale.
By investing in advanced cooling technologies, companies can explore denser, more powerful hardware designs for HPC applications. 3M two-phase immersion cooling with Novec Engineered Fluid has been shown to require 10 times less space than conventional air cooling and eliminates costly air cooling infrastructure and equipment associated with conventional liquid cooling, making it cost effective for large-scale data center hubs.
"HPCwire readers are among the most informed in the HPC community and these awards are ultimately given to the organizations that are making the biggest impact in advancing technology and humanity itself through high performance computing,” said Tom Tabor, CEO of Tabor Communications, publisher of HPCwire.
“This recognition is a great honor,” said Joe Koch, business director for 3M Electronics Materials Solutions Division. “At 3M we are always looking beyond what is, innovating technology breakthroughs to realize what’s possible. To be recognized for our two-phase immersion cooling technology – which we believe will revolutionize data center design - is exciting.”
3M offers a broad portfolio of products for data centers that address uptime, speed and sustainability. 3M solutions for fire protection, security and power deliver reliable uptime. Our products drive speed with fiber and copper solutions for direct-attach cables and structured cabling. We enable energy efficiency and sustainability in all we do, including air filtration and immersion cooling. For more information, visit www.3m.com/datacenters or contact us at 3MDataCenters@mmm.com.
About 3M
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $31 billion in sales, 3M employs 89,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.3m.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.
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