News From the Auto Industry

GM’s new HPC system consists of two models of 64-bit IBM supercomputers. The first model, the pSeries p655 1.7 GHz 8-way, based on IBM’s Power4 processor, was up and running at the beginning of 2004. The Power5-based supercomputer will be delivered later this year and running in early 2005. The Power5 processors, which supersede the Power4, are "considerably faster than the Power4s," says Tom Tecco, director of CAE, CAT, and electrical systems in the IS & S Group of GM. Once everything is installed, the entire computing system will probably be about five to six times faster than what GM had, and there’ll be more of it to crunch through more computer jobs.

Impressive, yes, but one might wonder: "What’s it good for?" In GM’s case, a lot. Supercomputing is a crucial tool for vehicle development, from concept models at the early stages of design to more detailed models as the designs evolve. It is also one more "enabler" to global competitiveness.