AmericaOne race boat depends on HP's supercomputing power

Hewlett-Packard Company and AmericaOne today announced that, after three months of competition in the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Races, AmericaOne has qualified for the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals and is now just five wins away from challenging defending champion, Team New Zealand, in the America's Cup. AmericaOne meets Italian syndicate Prada in a best-of-nine showdown in the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals, Jan. 25 through Feb. 4, to determine who will battle New Zealand for the 2000 Cup.

A savvy, veteran crew and superior design team have given AmericaOne the upper hand through the early rounds of the Challenger Series. The AmericaOne team, led by skipper and chief executive officer, Paul Cayard, recognized the influence technology plays in winning the America's Cup. In order to design and build the fastest boats, AmericaOne forged technology alliances with some of the world's leading technology companies, including HP, which became AmericaOne's first major sponsor in April 1998.

"There is really no bigger powerhouse in the technology world than HP," said Paul Cayard. "Our alliance with HP significantly increased our chances of having the fastest boat and winning back the America's Cup."

The official information technology sponsor of AmericaOne, HP has provided the syndicate with a range of technological tools, including HP personal computers, palmtops, storage devices, scanners, printers, copiers, digital cameras, high-performance workstations and technical servers, HP ProCurve networking solutions, and consulting services and support.

"Technology is a critical success factor in the America's Cup," said Knute Christensen, market development manager for HP's Technical Computing Division. "HP is one of only a few companies in the world that can provide the broad range of technology solutions needed to be competitive and win the America's Cup. We're proud that HP's alliance with AmericaOne is contributing to the team's success."

AmericaOne's design team relied extensively upon a 128-processor HP 9000 Enterprise Server. HP provided virtually unlimited access to the supercomputer, an unprecedented resource that allowed the design team to more accurately analyze and evaluate myriad options when designing the boat's keel, hull and sails in a short amount of time. For example, the design of the sails that AmericaOne will fly in the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals is the result of more than 100 aerodynamic analyses run on the HP server.

In addition, HP technology played an important role in getting AmericaOne back into competition midway through the Louis Vuitton Cup. Within hours of a serious collision with American competitor Stars & Stripes, the HP DesignJet 755CM large-format printer was called into action to assist in the repair of the boat's hull. The AmericaOne design team used HP's DesignJet printer to print full-scale sections of the boat's hull shape onto mylar sheets, which were used as templates on mold frames. Carbon fiber and a core material were then laminated over the mold frames to restore the yacht. The on-site DesignJet printer significantly reduced repair time and allowed AmericaOne to return to competition without losing ground in the standings.

"There are few sponsorship opportunities that are so heavily impacted by technology. AmericaOne is the ideal platform on which to showcase HP's global technology leadership," said Katey Kennedy, HP's sponsorship marketing program manager. "As we evaluated America's Cup sponsorships, we looked for the best opportunity to be an integral part of a winning team. AmericaOne's world-class design team and racing crew has not let us down, and we are excited to support the team in its mission to return the America's Cup to the United States."

AmericaOne is one of the leading challengers for America's Cup 2000. The team is currently competing in Auckland, New Zealand, for the Louis Vuitton Cup and the right to challenge New Zealand for the America's Cup in February 2000. AmericaOne has built two boats based on four years of technology development and innovation. The top-level technology partners are Hewlett-Packard Company, Telcordia Technologies, SAIC, Ford Motor Company/Visteon and United Technologies Corp. AmericaOne represents San Francisco's St. Francis Yacht Club.

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