"I don't know where we are going, but we'll get there quicker if we get started". David Bernholdt-ORNL (SOS9, March 2005).

SOS is the recognised international distress call for help and very apt for 'capability' computing in the 1990s, especially in the USA. Come the new century, and with some help from new R&D funds for high productivity systems, IBM, Sun Microsystems and Cray are working hard to offer a rescue pathway! (Christopher Lazou)

Fujitsu Siemens Computers will add AMD Opteron processors to its PRIMERGY server line. Products based on the AMD Opteron processor are expected to take advantage of the dual core processing technology which assembles two physical processor cores on one die, improving the server offering for the Dynamic Data Center focussing on improvement of efficiency, flexibility and availability in the data centre. The company expects to ship PRIMERGY based on AMD Opteron before the end of this calendar year. The PRIMERGY server line already offers 64-bit Intel 2-way and 4-way Xeon processor MP and Itanium 2 processor technology.

Cray Inc. is collaborating with Celoxica Ltd. to make Celoxica's DK Design Suite available to customers who want to use a software design flow to accelerate their applications using field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) integrated into the Cray XD1 supercomputer. The DK Design Suite consists of C-based design and synthesis tools that allow software engineers skilled in high-level programming languages to implement FPGA-based algorithms using the familiar C language. Called reconfigurable computing, FPGA technology can dramatically increase the speed of engineering and scientific applications.

IBM is the exclusive technology partner for the USTA for the fourteenth consecutive year and will use breakthrough new technology to provide tennis enthusiasts a virtual "center court" experience at this year's 2005 US Open Tennis Championships in New York.

EqualLogic, a provider of complete, intelligent iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions, has entered into a strategic partnership with Western Scientific. Western Scientific will integrate EqualLogic's PS Series platform into its broad range of high-performance computing and storage solutions.

Absoft Corporation has launched a powerful new software developers kit designed to make it easier for companies of all sizes to build and deploy affordable and efficient Grid computing IT operations. Introduced at the inaugural GridWorld Conference in Boston, the Absoft High-Performance Computing Software Development Kit (HPC SDK) has been specifically designed to work with the recently announced IBM Grid and Grow hardware and services offering.

The Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), Korea's national supercomputer centre, has deployed the Force10 TeraScale E-Series in an international Grid network to connect the country with scientists and researchers worldwide via the Global Ring Network for Advanced Applications Development (GLORIAD). Leveraging the high density and resiliency of the TeraScale E600 at the core of its network, KISTI is building the foundation for Korea's next generation information infrastructure.

Dublin, Ireland-based Trinity College has deployed an IBM xSeries clustered supercomputer with Voltaire Grid interconnect to advance its computational science and research initiatives. The 356-node cluster is the largest IBM-powered InfiniBand cluster deployed to date.

BNP Paribas' global structured credit group has successfully implemented DataSynapse's infrastructure software, GridServer. In doing so, DataSynapse has helped BNP Paribas generate new revenue opportunities and expand its current derivatives capabilities, while offering enhanced resiliency for its trading and risk systems.

Researchers at the Indiana University (IU) School of Informatics are part of a national team that is developing technology to better predict and track large weather events including hurricanes, such as Hurricane Katrina, which left thousands dead and injured and a path of devastation in its wake. Indiana University is working with eight other universities on the project and says the technology will be able to help reduce the uncertainty administrators have when faced with issuing evacuation orders.

The analyst group "Research and Markets" added "Middleware for Communications" to their offering, a state-of-the-art guide to middleware technologies, and their pivotal role in communications networks. Middleware is about integration and interoperability of applications and services running on heterogeneous computing and communications devices. The services it provides - including identification, authentication, authorization, soft-switching, certification and security - are used in a vast range of global appliances and systems, from smart cards and wireless devices to mobile services and e-Commerce.

NASD, a private-sector provider of financial regulatory services, has tested, migrated and successfully implemented Sun technologies and the Solaris OS for a number of its business-critical applications. NASD has also agreed to implement Sun's latest storage offerings, including the Sun StorEdge 6920 system, to help improve efficiency through consolidated applications data management and better utilization of storage resources.

The Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR), a public broadcaster in southwestern Germany, has awarded Silicon Graphics the contract for Phase One of its transition to a complete, integrated digital work flow for TV programming production and play out and archiving of TV and radio material.

PSSC Labs have competed and delivered their 400th Linux-based Beowulf cluster. The company's PowerWulf brand of Linux clusters are currently installed and running in the world's most prestigious computing environments. PSSC Labs PowerWulf clusters can be found in many major academic institutions, government agencies, Fortune 500 corporations and small/medium sized businesses.