Viper- HPC cluster uses Intel components

This year, ClusterVision designed and integrated a state of the art HPC cluster at the University of Hull. This cluster, nicknamed Viper, uses elements of the Intel Scalable System Framework, namely the latest Intel Broadwell processors (Xeon E5 2680v4) and one of the world’s first applications of the Intel Omni-Path Architecture.

Jane Glasser wrote an article about Viper for Scientific Computing. She interviewed several people from the University of Hull on their experience working with ClusterVision, why they chose for this specific cluster design, and how running applications on Viper has been up until now.

“We wanted it to be first of many HPC systems and be permanently supported. What we liked about the ClusterVision design and use of the Intel Scalable System Framework was that it gave us a sense of longevity. We know that we have at least three years with the Broadwell chips, and with Intel OPA we’re getting a really fast interconnect. We’re already talking about Viper 2, and that’s a message our researchers haven’t heard before. We’re at the start of a journey versus the end.” — Graeme Murphy, head of research and enterprise ICT services