In an era defined by the exponential growth of data and the rising need for computational power, High Performance Computing (HPC) has risen as the catalyst. Organizations spanning industries are capitalizing on HPC's ability to tackle complex challenges, simulate scenarios and leverage AI models to gain insights from large datasets.
As HPC becomes increasingly embedded in the fabric of innovation, a parallel demand for specialized professional services has surged. According to Mordor Intelligence, the current market trends indicate a drastic shift towards the cloud. It indicates 16.68% growth in the HPC workload on cloud over the next 5 years. The cloud adoption is driven by the fact that it not just brings scalability, but provides greater agility and the ability to leverage newer hardware such as those with higher memory bandwidth, GPUs etc. This allows enhanced efficiency and a host of options to leverage and get best possible outcomes.
HPC: HCLTech and Microsoft’s joint solution enabling scalability, security and agility
As organizations increasingly harness the potential of HPC, the need for expertise spanning assessment, build, migration and operational management has become paramount. HCLTech has become a key enabler for these services providing expertise on all types of HPC services. The offering supports multiple deployment models such as on premise, on cloud or migration from on-prem to cloud with domain specific expertise across verticals.
For cloud deployments, Microsoft Azure is a key provider for efficient HPC infrastructure. Recently, HCLTech announced collaboration with Microsoft to bring HPC solutions to enterprises. Microsoft Azure offers a purpose-built HPC infrastructure solution and optimized application service.
HCLTech and Microsoft’s partnership combines HCLTech’s capability and Microsoft’s technology to offer customers a powerful combination of advanced engineering services and cloud technologies. The joint solution leverages the Azure cloud for HPC Infrastructure paired with the highly experienced team from HCLTech. This joint solution helps to assess the existing environment, build the solution and infrastructure, migrate the workloads and manage operations of the environment.
Earlier, HPC use cases were only applicable to specific fields like meteorology, mathematical modelling, physics, chemistry, bioinformatics, CFD applications, etc. However, with more businesses being data-driven and HPC's ability to handle massive data volumes, and added use cases, the applications that run on HPC have also grown. These applications cover verticals like oil and gas, manufacturing, healthcare, financial services and others.
Several key trends and drivers have converged to fuel the meteoric rise of HPC as an indispensable cornerstone of modern technology.
Key drivers leading to widespread HPC adoption
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Big data tsunami
The proliferation of data-rich applications, IoT devices and scientific instruments has triggered an unrelenting deluge of information. HPC steps in as the lifeblood, processing and analyzing this data with speed and precision.
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Convergence of AI and HPC
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have converged with HPC to forge a formidable alliance. Together, they provide new frontiers in predictive modelling, natural language processing and autonomous driving.
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Simulation-driven innovation
From designing cutting-edge aircrafts to predicting the behavior of molecular compounds, simulations have become the bedrock of innovation. HPC's ability to simulate real-world scenarios with unparalleled accuracy accelerates the research and development process across industries.
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Leaps in scientific research
Areas such as genomics, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and climate modelling are experiencing a resurgence, fuelled by HPC's capacity to process vast datasets and execute intricate simulations. The convergence of computational power and scientific inquiry is reshaping the boundaries of human knowledge.
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Exascale computing
As we stand on the precipice of the exascale computing era, where systems can perform a quintillion calculations per second, HPC's impact is poised to escalate further. This monumental leap forward holds promise for unlocking unprecedented insights and fuelling breakthroughs.
However, adoption of HPC comes with its own set of challenges such as complex workload optimization, data movement bottlenecks, cost management, security and compliance related challenges and scalability.
HPC adoption: step-by-step journey
Assessment
This phase involves a deep dive into the organization's goals, existing infrastructure workloads, computational requirements, performance bottlenecks and budget constraints. HPC professionals collaborate closely with stakeholders to understand the unique needs that HPC can address, whether it's accelerating product development, advancing scientific research or optimizing financial models. Benchmarks and simulations help gauge the potential benefits of HPC adoption. Detailed TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) and ROI (Return on Investment) analyses guide decision-makers towards choosing the most suitable deployment model.
Build
This stage encompasses the design and construction of an HPC environment tailored to the organization's needs.
For cloud deployments, such as on Azure, the focus shifts towards configuring a virtual environment with the desired specifications. Here, elasticity and scalability such as that provided by H- and N-series instances take center stage. This flexibility allows organizations to dynamically adjust resources based on workload fluctuations.
Migration
Migrating existing workloads to an HPC environment can be a complex task. It requires a meticulous strategy to minimize disruptions, ensure data integrity and necessitate seamless data synchronization between on-premise and cloud resources. Data consistency, latency and access control mechanisms become critical components of a successful migration strategy.
Operate
Once the HPC environment is up and running, managing day-to-day operations becomes paramount. This phase involves monitoring, maintenance, performance tuning and capacity planning.
Cloud deployments require continuous monitoring of resource usage and cost optimization. Dynamic scaling ensures that resources are provisioned as needed, and regular updates to cloud services and applications are essential to maintain security and performance. Azure provides a comprehensive monitoring system to track all key aspects of the solution.
Wrap Up
In a world driven by data-driven decision-making and advanced simulations, HPC has emerged as a game-changer. HCLTech has unrivalled experience in consulting, designing, migrating, deploying and testing HPC solutions. We also have a sizable Center of Excellence (CoE) team that has tested numerous use cases and created reference architectures across industries and verticals.
The solution also has automation that is supported by pre-engineered tools that make it simple to migrate, install and tune systems. The cross-vertical and cross-domain experience that the HPC technology teams at HCLTech bring to the table enables effective adoption, streamlined operations and adherence to industry best practises. This solution covers all aspects of building, managing and running the HPC environment in any deployment model.
As technology evolves and HPC capabilities continues to expand, the role of these services becomes even more crucial in unlocking the next frontier of computational excellence.
For more information, please write to us at HCBU-PMG@hcltech.com.
