News & Updates

In the face of serious global competition and a sobering economic climate, U.S. leadership in high performance computing—in hardware, software, and expertise—stands out as a true national strategic asset. The Council believes that leveraging this leadership to support next-generation innovation and manufacturing is a sure way to advance overall national competitiveness and prosperity. But the […]

This study benchmarks the U.S. aerospace, automotive, bio-life sciences and energy industries' use of high performance computing (HPC) to drive innovation for global competitiveness. It is the first study to attempt to do this and to understand how deeply within each industry's supply chain HPC has been embraced. The most noteworthy finding was that U.S. […]

Medrad, a provider of drug delivery systems, MRI imaging accessories and catheters, had purchased patents for a promising interventional catheter device to mechanically remove blood clots associated with a stroke. Breaking with a long tradition of building numerous physical prototypes to research the potential of a new technology, Medrad turned to the NSF-funded Pittsburgh Supercomputing […]

Researchers at the Salk Institute are using supercomputers at the nearby NSF-funded San Diego Supercomputer Center to investigate how the synapses of the brain work. Their research has the potential to help people suffering from mental disorders such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and manic depressive disorders. In addition, the use of supercomputers is helping to change […]

To advance the state of the art of its proprietary photochromic technology used in Transitions® eyewear and speed its time-to-market, PPG Industries enlisted the help of high performance computing. Advancing photochromic technology, which allows lenses to change from clear to dark and block harmful ultraviolet rays, involves complex modeling and simulation of molecules at the […]

To improve the freshness of its Folgers® coffee and reduce the costs of packaging, researchers at Procter & Gamble decided to switch from a metal can to a plastic container. However, they ran into a number of problems related to gas build up inside the containers, fluctuations caused by changes in atmospheric pressure during shipment […]

This study benchmarks the findings from Reveal against a group of "desktop-only" and entry level HPC users within a focused industrial sector. It confirms that even with customer requirements and/or a competitive threat, desktop-only firms still need assistance in overcoming the cost, talent and software barriers impeding high performance computing (HPC) adoption. The important role […]

This first-ever broad industry survey examines why companies have not made the switch from desktop PCs and workstations to more powerful high performance computers, given their proven competitive benefits. Lack of talent, cost issues and a need for application software are difficult hurdles to overcome. Most of the firms revealed they have important problems they […]

To conduct leading edge astrophysical research, educate the public, and create its spectacular and highly popular shows based on real science, the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium augments its own computing with the extensive supercomputer capabilities available through the National Science Foundation high performance computing Centers, such as the San Diego Supercomputer Center.

Alcoa, the world's leading producer of aluminum products, was one of the first companies to make major use of high performance computing when it became the NSF-funded Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center's first industrial affiliate in 1987. When aluminum faced growing competition from plastic and other composite materials, the company used the PSC supercomputer to handle the […]