Windows HPC Server 2008 Updates

Keeping you updated on Microsoft's continued progress in the high performance computing (HPC) space, I wanted to provide a quick update on some of the exciting news and progress with Windows HPC Server 2008 since Supercomputing last fall.

• Windows HPC Server 2008 Milestones: Windows HPC Server 2008 released a Community Technical Preview (CPT) last week. Designed to increase productivity, scalability and manageability this major milestone added or expanded 20 new features on top of the Beta 1 build which was released in Nov'07 at Supercomputing. Features & expansions new to CTP rang from job pre-emption to management consoled UI enhancements. Customers can access the download links from www.microsoft.com/hpc homepage. 

•  HPC Vertical Industry Updates: Today, Microsoft announced the findings from the High-Performance Computing Oil and Gas Industry Survey. The survey suggests that the demand for high-performance computing capability in the oil and gas industry is higher now than ever before and that improved access to high-performance computing capability could increase production, enhance decision-making, reduce drilling delays and diminish project risk. www.microsoft.com/oilandgas

We also recently hit the road and attended the Financial Services Developer Conference, announcing the Financial Services OBA Component Library which addresses many of the common reference scenarios faced by banking, insurance and capital markets firms. http://www.supercomputingonline.com/article.php?sid=15279

 

• Parallel Computing News: Microsoft and Intel announced earlier this month that we are partnering with academia to create two Universal Parallel Computing Research Centers aimed at accelerating developments in mainstream parallel computing, for consumers and businesses in desktop and mobile computing.  The research centers will be located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and is the first joint industry and university research collaboration of this magnitude in the U.S. For more information please visit http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/mar08/03-18UPCRCPR.mspx

Tina Couch