IT in Manufacturing


HPC is here, but it needs to be of cool mind and body

September 2024 IT in Manufacturing


Ben Selier, vice president, Secure Power, Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric.

It reads like a paragraph from a Philip K Dick sci-fi novel; high-performance computing (HPC) can perform quadrillions of calculations per second. Quadrillions is a word we seldom hear or even fully comprehend. But, here we are, HPC can achieve it, catapulting us into a world with groundbreaking inventions, innovations and complex calculations.

To place it into perspective, a laptop or desktop with a 3 GHz processor can perform around three billion calculations per second. While that is much faster than any human can achieve, it pales in comparison to HPC solution.

Supercomputers are probably the best known HPC solutions; they contain thousands of compute nodes that work together to complete one or more tasks. This is called parallel processing.

As mentioned, HPC is crucial across various domains, from scientific research to financial modelling and gaming development. For example in the financial sector HPC is used for virtually predicting market trends, involving the processing of vast datasets to identify patterns and insights.

In gaming, the demand for high-performance machines at home underscores the even greater need for robust HPC infrastructure for game development and rendering. The development of 4K and 8K content, whether for gaming or streaming services like Netflix, relies heavily on HPC to manage the enormous computational requirements.

A strong mind needs a body

Like Vision in Marvel’s Avengers saga, HPC needs a body or rather a data centre to function optimally. And building these data centres comes at quite a cost; this requires careful operational, financial, and technical consideration.

The above also a makes a case for organisations turning to hyperscale providers like Amazon and Microsoft, which provide HPC-as-a-service, allowing organisations to rent computational power on demand. It enables organisations to expand their HPC capabilities without significant upfront investments.

But for those who intend to go the HPC data centre route, the following should be carefully considered:

• Computing: This is the processing power required to execute complex calculations. It not only demands powerful processors, but also efficient interconnectivity to ensure seamless communication between computing nodes.

• Storage: HPC applications generate and manipulate vast amounts of data. Storage solutions should therefore be capable of handling massive datasets and providing quick access to information.

• Network: The network infrastructure is the backbone of HPC, facilitating communication between various components of the system. High-speed, low-latency networks are crucial for ensuring data transfer efficiency and minimising bottlenecks.

• Cooling facilities: The intense computational activities in an HPC environment generate substantial heat, necessitating advanced solutions such as liquid cooling and precision air conditioning. HPC data centres are power intensive, often requiring triple the power of traditional data centres.

Liquid cooling in particular is gaining prominence for its ability to cool high-power components such as processors and GPUs, reducing the overall thermal load on the system. This not only enhances energy efficiency, but also allows for more densely packed computing clusters, which is ideal for HPC

HPC and cooling in action

Schneider Electric, together with power and cooling expert, Total Power Solutions designed and delivered a new, highly efficient cooling system to help reduce the power usage effectiveness (PUE) of University College Dublin’s (UCD) main production data centre.

UCD’s data centre was originally designed to accommodate HPC clusters, and provides a platform for research at its university campus. Total Power Solutions and Schneider Electric replaced the existing data centre cooling system with the Uniflair InRow Direct Expansion (DX) solution. Schneider Electric’s InRow DX cooling technology offers benefits such as modular design, more predictable cooling and variable speed fans, which help to reduce energy consumption.

The solution at UCD includes 10 independent InRow DX cooling units, which are sized to the server load to optimise efficiency. The system is scalable to enable UCD to add further HPC clusters and accommodate future innovations in technology. This includes the introduction of increasingly powerful central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs).

The InRow DX cooling units work in conjunction with UCD’s existing Schneider Electric EcoStruxure Row Data Centre System, and provides a highly efficient, close-coupled design that is suited to high-density loads.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Buildings in Africa’s urban evolution
Schneider Electric South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Africa is now an urban continent. How does the continent mobilise to accommodate urban dwellers and maintain and implement critical infrastructure that allows for this expansion? Building management systems provide a tangible solution to optimise resource use, lower operations costs and ultimately contribute to a growing continent that also employs green practices.

Read more...
Black Rock Mining centralises mining operations with AVEVA
IT in Manufacturing
Black Rock Mine Operations replaced and upgraded its existing infrastructure, and installed additional capacity to expand production from 3 to 4,6 million tons in three years. The new system is powered by a suite of AVEVA solutions.

Read more...
The strategic role of technology in today’s economy
IT in Manufacturing
In an era of economic uncertainty and persistent market volatility, businesses are under immense pressure to manage costs while maintaining operational effectiveness. The role of chief information officers and chief technology officers has never been more critical, as they are tasked with leveraging technology not just as a tool for efficiency but as a strategic asset in navigating these turbulent times.

Read more...
Minutes to meltdown: surviving a cyber attack
IT in Manufacturing
Commvault recently hosted its Minutes to Meltdown event. Led by the company’s security experts, this was an interactive and detailed ransomware attack simulation designed to help companies understand how to respond in the event of a cyber attack.

Read more...
Siemens elevates automotive and aerospace simulation
Siemens South Africa IT in Manufacturing
Siemens Digital Industries Software has announced the latest update to its Simcenter portfolio, delivering advancements in aerostructure analysis, electric motor design, gear optimisation and smart virtual sensing. These enhancements are designed to streamline workflows, accelerate certification and provide deeper insights into system performance.

Read more...
Automation in 2025: Navigating manufacturing innovation without the risk
IT in Manufacturing
During 2025, a wave of innovative technologies is expected to disrupt and change the way IT is applied to automation systems. The challenge lies in balancing the reliability of proven techniques with the potential of new technologies, all while minimising and controlling risk. This article explores ways to approach the latest information technologies effectively in a manufacturing context.

Read more...
South Africa’s AI revolution is here – but are we secure?
IT in Manufacturing
South African businesses are sprinting to embrace generative AI, lured by its potential to drive efficiency, productivity and innovation. But here’s the stark reality: without a rock-solid cybersecurity foundation, AI will become a Trojan horse, opening the floodgates to sophisticated cyber threats.

Read more...
Compact, high density power protection system for AI, data centre and large-scale electrical workloads
Schneider Electric South Africa Electrical Power & Protection
Schneider Electric has launched its new Galaxy VXL – a highly efficient, compact, modular, scalable and redundant 500-1250 kW (400 V) 3-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS), complete with enhanced cybersecurity, software and safety features.

Read more...
Duct and plant room air quality (PRAQ) sensors
Schneider Electric South Africa Sensors & Transducers
Schneider Electric South Africa offers a comprehensive range of SpaceLogic duct and plant room air quality sensors. These cutting-edge sensors are designed to enhance building air quality and energy efficiency by combining multiple sensing capabilities into a single unit.

Read more...
The sensory reaction of the BMS
Schneider Electric South Africa Sensors & Transducers
Today’s building management systems cannot function properly without sensors. Like our senses, they are an integral part of operations that run silently in the background, almost taken for granted.

Read more...