Based on IBM’s Blue Gene Supercomputer, the Centre provides a platform for innovation to different sectors from across the region

Abu Dhabi-UAE, 17th December 2006 - The Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT), the leading technology and research organisation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has launched today the first On Demand Supercomputing Centre in the Middle East. Based on IBM’s Blue Gene system, the centre was inaugurated this morning by His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the UAE, in the presence of senior executives from CERT and IBM.

The On Demand Supercomputing Centre will be used by CERT to enhance research and development capabilities in various sectors. Industries like oil and gas, banking and finance, life sciences, seismology and others will benefit from the huge amounts of computing powers provided by the Blue Gene system equivalent to 5.7 Teraflops of processing power (equivalent to 5.7 trillion mathematical operations per second).

Partner organizations and clients to CERT will reap the benefits from accessing the new Centre. CERT is working with a number of independent software vendors in providing applications for the different industries to use and gain access through the On-Demand environment available at the centre. For instance, CERT’s partner organization Tsunami Development will launch the Tsunami Seismic imaging software suite available on the CERT’s Blue Gene for Oil and Gas clients to use in South Asia, Middle East and North Africa. Newly established AcuraGen, a specialist medical research company based in the UAE, India, and USA, will tap into CERT’s Blue Gene and be able to conduct its research studies in Oncology more efficiently. AcuraGen will also carry out contract research in drug discovery for its Life Science clients. Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park (DuBiotech) clients are also to have access to the Blue Gene resource at CERT.

Based on IBM's Power architecture, the IBM eServer Blue Gene solution system is optimized for bandwidth, scalability and the ability to handle large amounts of data while consuming a fraction of the power and floor space typically required by today's fastest systems. The Lawrence Livermore Blue Gene/L system is the world’s most powerful Supercomputer.

"The launch of the Centre today promises the region with more innovative methods that would impact Middle East business sectors. We anticipate that the Centre will witness unprecedented levels of computing power that would speed the pace of development and help different sectors prosper their businesses," said Takreem El-Tohamy, General Manager of IBM Middle East, Egypt and Pakistan.”