On the hardware side, Bull uses standard components, but designed an architecture that allows them to innovate through the use of new chips. Some of the hardware components they do on their own, such as the Bull Frame Scalability Switch. For other components they rely on partners. So they take Intel Itanium 2 processors as CPU, Quadrics for interconnect and DDN Galeforce (FPGA) as co-processors.

The software layer foundation exists of open source software. Linux, of course, with tools for all other functoniality one needs for a supercomputer. For instance for the batch system they chose Torque and for resoruce management Slum. The idea is that the large community of developers helps reparing errors and developing new functionality. But to tune the software to a specific system to get out the best performance, one needs skilled people. The same is true for support. A large system cannot do without good support.

But Jean-Francois Lavignon admitted that to find a good supercomputer you cannot do with some American (well Italian-American) help: you need the skills of a detective like Colombo. The television series from the seventies is still popular in France.