Fujitsu
announced recently the launch of a new cloud service for analytical
simulations in the area of technical computing called TC Cloud. The new
TC Cloud service, which will be introduced in phases beginning in the
third quarter of 2011, is comprised of three services: (1) Analytical
Platform Service, which provides a platform for conducting analytical
simulations; (2) Analytical Applications Service, which provides
analytical applications; and (3) Analytical Help Desk, which provides
support for setting up and running analytical simulations.
Geared
towards the manufacturing sector, the new service enables customers to
optimize their computational resources by allowing them to quickly scale
their resources up or down in accordance with fluctuations in their
need to run analyses. In addition, customers who are considering whether
to initiate their own analytical simulation capabilities can use this
service to do an easy trial deployment. Moreover, the Analytical
Applications Service can be used under either a fixed-rate license or a
usage-based license, enabling customers to optimize the costs they incur
for using analytical applications.
In
advance of the general launch, Nikon Corporation has already started
using the Analytical Platform Service to handle electricity supply
shortages in Japan as well as to make its analysis work more efficient.
For
many years Fujitsu has been delivering solutions in the field of
technical computing, from supercomputers to applications development. In
leveraging its experience and know-how to offer TC Cloud, Fujitsu aims
to contribute to the creation of new value on the manufacturing
frontlines of its customers.
In
the design and development operations of manufacturers in such
industries as automobiles, electronics, and machine tools,
computer-based analytical simulations have become essential for
improving the safety and reliability of products and for compressing
development times. Due to the difficulty in flexibly adjusting
computational resources and changing the number of licenses for
applications in relation to fluctuations in the need to run analyses,
the needs of computational analysis are often not met.
Analytical Platform Service
Utilizing
a platform consisting of its data centers and other resources, Fujitsu
builds an analytical simulation environment for each customer, and then
delivers the environment as a cloud service. Fujitsu is offering three
classes of service with variations in parallel processing performance
and the flexibility with which configurations can be changed.
Speedy
Class: Offered through a virtual machine environment, speedy class
enables customers to expand or shrink their computational environment
immediately. It allows customers to address sudden needs for analytical
simulations, and is ideal for relatively small-scale analyses or
multiplex computing for use in optimizations.
Premium
Class: Offered through a physical server environment, premium class
enables customers to expand or shrink their computational environment in
about a week. It is ideal for medium-scale parallel computing tasks.
High-Performance
Class: Offered through a high-speed network connected to a
high-performance computing environment, it is ideal for large-scale
parallel computing tasks.
Features of the Analytical Platform Service
By
deploying a web-based analytics portal in the customer’s environment, a
hybrid environment combining the customer’s computational resources
with those of any of the three classes listed above can be created. This
enables customers to choose the optimal computing resources for
performing their analyses, depending on the requirements of each
analysis.
Large-volume
analytic results can be viewed through the cloud’s virtual desktop.
Using Fujitsu’s high-speed image compression technology, the screen
images viewed can be sent via high-speed transmission to a local PC.
With superior performance response, users can conveniently navigate
through their results.
With
speedy class and premium class, a cloud environment for each customer
is build in Fujitsu’s datacenters, which are equipped with leading-edge
security and highly-robust infrastructure. In the event of a disaster,
customers can still have access to a high-quality platform that is safe
and secure.
Analytical Applications Service
In
conjunction with the Analytical Platform Service, Fujitsu is also
offering analytical applications as a cloud service. The first service
to be offered will be Poynting, Fujitsu’s electromagnetic wave
analytical software, with other services added over time.
Features of the Analytical Applications Service
With
a metered-rate license, cost is based on usage volume. In addition to
the fixed-rate licenses (monthly rate) that it has been offering,
Fujitsu is offering metered-rate licenses. As the fee structure is based
on usage volume, customers whose analysis needs fluctuate widely can
optimize their usage costs. Unlike fixed-rate licenses, there are no
restrictions on the number of licenses that can be used at one time.
Customers have the flexibility of temporarily using multiple licenses to
perform a high-speed computational task.
Services
will expand to include all types of analytical applications. Through
collaborations with analytical application vendors, Fujitsu will expand
its service offerings to include all types of analytical applications,
such as applications for structural analysis, crash analysis, and
thermo-fluid analysis.
Analytical Help Desk
The
Analytical Help Desk is a support service for resolving problems in
analytical simulations. Leveraging the know-how it has accumulated
through its delivery of solutions in the field of technical computing,
Fujitsu is offering support in set-ups, training, and operations, and
can also run analyses on behalf of customers. Even customers who are new
to the field of analytical simulations will be able to apply them in
their work with the support Fujitsu provides.
