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HPC (High Performance Computing) is not just a technology showcase for setting world records or solving abstract theoretical physics problems.  HPC makes a real difference in our lives, helping scientists and businesses attack real world challenges head on.  We all benefit because HPC matters.

HPC for the Cure

hpc for genomics

Curing cancer and other life threatening diseases is a major focus of medical research, and a very popular application for HPC.  Thanks to increased availability of powerful large scale computing power, scientists can leverage Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to not only fight disease but also predict and prevent pandemics.

More and more, we are able to handle everything nature throws at us.  We can also use bioinformatics to help us make better personal wellness decisions.  HPC will help us live longer and healthier lives, providing individuals with valuable information about their health, and doctors with the tools to solve the most complex medical challenges.

HPC for Natural Disasters

hpc for natural disasters

In 2013, natural disasters killed 20,000 people and caused $125 billion of damage worldwide.  HPC applications not only help with detection and prediction, but also help design safer buildings to better withstand the fury of these events.  Over time, HPC will improve our early warning systems and public safety prior, during, and after natural disasters strike.

HPC for the Energy the World Needs

hpc for seismic processing

Few things are more crucial to our modern way of life than ubiquitous access to energy sources.  Whether we are driving our cars or using our mobile devices, we depend on it.  As good citizens of this planet, we naturally want to develop clean energy sources for the long term.  In the meantime, HPC applications such as Seismic Processing help us find and extract the oil and gas we need today with the smallest environmental footprint possible.

HPC for a Smaller Footprint

hpc for better fuel economy

Just as we want to find new sources of energy, we also want to consume less, leaving a smaller “footprint” on our planet.  HPC helps designers and manufacturers make more efficient vehicles, so that we can enjoy our mobile lifestyles with less fuel than ever before.  HPC applications such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) not only help optimize aerodynamics, but also improve efficiency of fuel injection systems to increase combustion and reduce emissions.  The net result is faster, more comfortable vehicles that consume less fuel and emit fewer harmful gasses than ever before.

HPC to Help Us Make Sense of it All

hpc for big data

In 2012, the world created over 2.5 exabytes (2.5 quintillion bytes) of data every day, and this number continues to grow.  Sources such as social media, retail, meteorology, genomics, and just about everything else you can think of contributes to the phenomenon we now call Big Data.  But more important than the collection itself are the analytics and visualization of data, which is where HPC comes into the picture.  HPC helps make sense of data points by identifying patterns, analyzing relationships, and even modeling and predicting behavior based on historical information (e.g. predictive analytics).  The more data we collect, the more computing power we need to extract value from it.  Big Data is the megatrend that’s driving massive public cloud growth, and HPC is at the epicenter.

Whether it’s Analytics, Life Sciences, Engineering, or Energy, HPC is helping improve our lives more and more every day.  How will you use HPC on demand to help?