OSC welcomes Intel's 'Silicon Heartland' investment in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Apr 11, 2022) — 

The Ohio Supercomputer Center and Intel have been working closely for years to advance the development of high performance computing. Intel’s recent $20 billion commitment to construct one of the world’s largest microchip manufacturing complexes or “fabs” in Licking County, Ohio, will open up new opportunities for this collaboration.

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A rendering shows early plans for two new leading-edge Intel processor factories in Licking County, Ohio. The $20 billion project is the largest single private-sector investment in Ohio history. Image courtesy Intel Corporation.

“Intel and the Ohio Supercomputer Center have a multi-decade track record of collaboration. This development reinforces Intel’s commitment to driving innovation back into the industry by empowering a new generation of workforce,” said Nash Palaniswamy, Intel’s vice president and general manager, Accelerated Computing Systems, Graphics, and AI solutions and Sales.

The Ohio Supercomputer Center provides high performance computing (HPC), data storage and expert support to catalyze advanced research in academia and industry throughout the state and beyond. An organization within the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), workforce development is a core principle for OSC. The Center is well positioned to support the training of Ohioans in the semiconductor technologies supported by the manufacturing complex, which is expected to employ 3,000 workers.

“A cornerstone of our mission is education and training in advanced computing,” said David Hudak, executive director of OSC. “We are eager to explore how we can help collaborate with Intel to prepare a next-generation workforce for new opportunities in technology.”

Since OSC’s founding in 1987, Intel and the Center have collaborated frequently. Intel processors have been used in 13 supercomputer clusters, including 3,020 processors actively in use in the Owens and Pitzer clusters. The two organizations conducted joint case studies on Open OnDemand, the Center’s homegrown, open-source HPC web portal now in use around the world, and OSC Director of Strategic Programs Alan Chalker sits on Intel’s HPC Advisory Board.

OSC has also worked with Intel on multiple test and pilot projects, including the Many Integrated Core Architecture. Intel and the Center collaborated on the modernization of WARP3D solid modeling software as part of the Parallel Computing Centers program. Intel and OSC presented on the Alliance for High Performance Digital Manufacturing at the Supercomputing Conference in 2011.

Additionally, keynote speakers from Intel have appeared at multiple OSC Statewide Users Group (SUG) conferences. The upcoming Spring 2022 SUG conference will feature Jeffrey McVeigh, vice president and GM of the Super Compute Group.

As Ohio sits on the precipice of a transformation into the “Silicon Heartland,” OSC looks forward to continuing a productive relationship with Intel in the coming years.

 

About OSC: The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) addresses the rising computational demands of academic and industrial research communities by providing a robust shared infrastructure and proven expertise in advanced modeling, simulation and analysis. OSC empowers scientists with the services essential to making extraordinary discoveries and innovations, partners with businesses and industry to leverage computational science as a competitive force in the global knowledge economy and leads efforts to equip the workforce with the key technology skills required for 21st century jobs.