Today, Intel announced that it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) High Performance Computing (HPC) Competency status. The certification recognizes Intel as a trusted partner in providing high-performance solvers, HPC platforms, and workload management solutions to its customers via AWS" elastic and scalable cloud infrastructure.
In the announcement, Intel accentuated its domain expertise in application, HPC management, and foundational technology. Peter Bevan, the Global Director of Sales and Marketing for AWS at Intel said:
“HPC has been key to solving the most complex problems in every industry and is changing the way we work and live. Intel and AWS have been engaged engineer-to-engineer for over 15 years. The two companies have been bringing innovative solutions to market to address customer problems: from drug discovery with Fred Hutch, to autonomous vehicle innovation with Mobileye, to helping animals at risk of extinction with the University of Sydney’s Wildlife Genomics Group. Intel and AWS are driving cloud transformation in HPC with Intel® Xeon® Scalable processor-powered offerings on AWS. The collaboration on AWS ParallelCluster as an Intel® Select Solutions is one great example of our relationship. This achievement is a testimony to our ongoing collaboration with AWS, and we are thrilled to be an AWS HPC Competency Launch Partner.”
With the inclusion of Intel, there are now 14 AWS High Performance Computing Partners. These include industry giants like Nvidia, Plexus, Ronin Cloud, Siemens, Nextflow. Their HPC solutions are currently being utilized in domains like deep learning, autonomous driving, genomics, computational chemistry, seismic processing, and computer-aided engineering.
Intel"s inclusion into the list comes at a time when the company is facing tough competition from the likes of Apple and AMD. Apple"s homegrown M1 chip has a lot going for it, much of which we dive deep into in our Intel Evo vs Apple Silicone series. AMD"s Ryzen line of processors has grown increasingly popular in recent years, especially in gaming - both mobile and desktop. But competition usually leads to substantial improvements in a company"s offerings and that directly translates to tangible benefits for customers. And to that end, Intel has been changing things up internally. With a new CEO at the helm, the tech giant hopes to retain and grow its market position under his leadership. And with the inclusion in the AWS High Performance Computing Partners list, Intel is intent on strengthening its data center and enterprise offerings.