IBM has officially opened a new systems software development laboratory in Manchester, England. With a focus on IBM Power Systems, the engineers in the Lab develop optimization, security, and virtualization software to help clients manage emerging workloads designed to reduce data center costs, IBM reports.
The opening represents the latest in a series of major investments in IBM's high-end systems in 2010. The Manchester system software development laboratory follows similar investments in IBM's manufacturing and development capabilities this year in Guadalajara, Mexico and Poughkeepskie, New York, in support of systems and storage solutions. The new facility currently supports local clients, such as the Daresbury Laboratory, and expects to support worldwide projects for international clients.
IBM is positioning its POWER7-based efforts as a key foundational element for its Smarter Planet initiatives.
"IBM POWER7 systems are optimized and integrated from the chip to hardware and software for workloads requiring the management of enormous data-driven transactions and analyzing that data in real time," explains Rod Adkins, senior vice president for IBM Systems & Technology Group.
"POWER7 systems provide not just raw speed, but the intelligent performance needed for smart electrical grids, analytics in financial markets and other emerging business models made possible in today's massively interconnected world. The deep expertise at our new Manchester Lab is vital to the success of POWER7 systems and a strong resource for our client base here," he adds.
Preparing for Urban Growth
"By the year 2050, it is estimated that more than 70 percent of the world's population will live in urban areas. The pressure this brings means that cities must become smarter in adopting new technologies and knowledge to address the challenges we face. Manchester's rich innovation pedigree and ambition for the future makes it an exciting place to trailblaze new approaches to urban futures. We're delighted to be working in collaboration with IBM to help deliver smarter ways of living and working in Manchester," notes Cathy Garner, Chief Executive, Manchester: Knowledge Capital.
The Manchester Lab engineers have already developed IBM PowerVM Lx86 for IBM Power Systems, a technology which helps to enable clients to consolidate their Linux-based applications onto IBM systems. Additional sample projects showcasing IBM innovation for future client adoption involve work to boost system optimization. For example, local engineers are creating new "intelligent system tuning" capabilities that automatically decides how to parse resources like memory or compute power to execute different workloads. The work is designed to minimize system expertise requirements and allow clients to re-direct scarce IT resources toward revenue-generating projects.
In addition to IBM systems and processor architecture knowledge, the Lab's engineering expertise includes in-depth system software knowledge and key performance optimization skills across the whole software and hardware stack. This allows the local team to deliver new technologies for IBM systems and advise clients on workload consolidation and optimization. Situated off Deansgate in the heart of the city, the 10,000- square-foot Lab also provides testing, which supports development for IBM systems to run a full set of applications for more informed systems investment decisions, IBM says. The Lab is linked to a nearby external data center which holds a wide range of IBM Power Systems and IBM System x servers. This enables the engineers to harness exceptional compute power and develop software on the latest hardware technology.