Giving independent software providers a boost

The STFC Hartree Centre is committed to breaking down the technical barriers that can prevent software SMEs like FlowHD from reaching their full potential.

Challenge

For companies seeking to streamline their R&D process, high performance computing (HPC) opens doors that no other technology can. The ability to process large amounts of data quickly and accurately can save manufacturers a great deal of time and expense by cutting down the amount of prototyping required to create a finished product. It is this capability which is important to organisations such as FlowHD, an independent software vendor (ISV) which provides support software, such as that used for computational fluid dynamics, to manufacturers who use them to carry out advanced R&D. For SMEs like FlowHD, it can be difficult to access HPC facilities – and extremely difficult to implement an HPC infrastructure of its own – due to prohibitively high costs​.

Approach

The Hartree Centre works with partner OCF to allow ISVs to put their own codes onto the enCORE platform. This means smaller companies can still cater for their customers flexibly, using more powerful systems when required, without needing to invest in ​permanent infrastructure. The Hartree Centre’s HPC experts are also on hand to help in areas such as computational engineering, code optimisation and algorithmic development, meaning that ISVs have access to additional resources to meet their requirements to harness the power of HPC. ​

Benefits

The Hartree Centre’s open approach allows both co-providers and their customers to harness and benefit from more powerful computing capabilities than they would otherwise be able to access. The ISVs are able to supply a wider a range of their target market without having to invest all their capital into building a costly infrastructure, while their customers benefit from the improved service and its ability to speed up their R&D, increase its competitiveness and reduce the cost of testing. The Hartree Centre’s assistance ensures that SMEs like FlowHD are free to grow and become more profitable at a faster rate than ever before.​ ​

“Working with the Hartree Centre and OCF’s enCORE service has helped us to work with large organisations and their supply chains, by providing us with access to some of the most powerful computing infrastructure in the UK, whilst allowing us to retain control over our costs, and without the need for large-scale capital investment within FlowHD​​.”

Matt Hieatt, FlowHD