LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verne Global, provider of sustainable data center solutions for high intensity computing, today announced that Wirth Research, an engineering, design technology and advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) consultancy, has relocated its supercomputer to Verne Global’s data center campus in Iceland. The move enables Wirth Research to analyse, optimise and verify the performance of designs for its industry customers with zero carbon cost.
With its roots in motorsports, Wirth Research was founded by Nick Wirth, former Simtek Grand Prix owner and Benetton F1 chief designer. Since 2003, the company has pioneered the use of advanced virtual engineering technologies that reduce the need for costly physical tests and the wasteful manufacture of prototypes. Wirth Research uses high resolution CFD analyses to design and develop innovative airflow solutions for a wide variety of sectors and uses. These include identifying key airflow mechanisms that minimise the airborne transport of viruses, like Covid, in public spaces, as well as controlling and targeting airflow to make supermarket refrigeration more efficient, and city streets more comfortable for pedestrians through wind engineering of tall buildings.
CFD is incredibly power-intensive and requires high intensity computing environments. With its in-house high performance computing (HPC) servers nearing end-of-life, Wirth Research sought to improve the speed, performance and reliability of its compute-intensive applications while, at the same time, increasing efficiency and reducing their energy footprint. After extensive consideration, Wirth Research chose to colocate its new Dell EMC PowerEdge servers powered by AMD Epyc CPUs and Nvidia Tesla T4 GPUs at Verne Global’s Icelandic campus due to its first-in-class performance and on-site HPC support. Crucially, Verne Global also offers a sustainable alternative to fossil-fuelled compute power – 100% renewable hydro-electric and geothermal energy, with free cooling from Iceland’s year-round lower temperatures.
Previously, Wirth Research’s headquarters were tethered to where its CFD supercomputer was located, on a site with substantial energy costs and cooling requirements. By moving its high performance compute to Verne Global, and replacing its existing hardware with new hyper-efficient AMD Epyc 2 processors, Wirth Research’s costs were reduced so significantly that the savings in energy usage easily justified the investment in upgraded hardware. As well, Wirth Research was able to move its headquarters to a state-of-the-art, eco-friendly office, more in line with its core values.
“At Wirth Research, the work we do is sustainability work, helping our clients implement energy-saving carbon reduction systems that aren’t just planet-friendly, but also offer compelling returns on investment,” said Nick Wirth, President and Technical Director, Wirth Research. “Verne Global’s renewably powered data center – optimised for HPC and supported by a skilled team of engineers – is the ideal place to host our high intensity compute.”
“Wirth Research’s advanced engineering technologies can revolutionise industries, and Verne Global is thrilled to be a part of delivering that innovation at zero carbon cost,” said Dominic Ward, CEO, Verne Global. “Verne Global was built from the ground up with sustainability, scalability and security front-of-mind, and we look forward to supporting Wirth Research’s future growth.”
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About Verne Global:
Verne Global delivers data center solutions for high intensity computing, engineered for optimal high performance compute and built upon 100% renewable energy. Our clean grid and stable climate cuts costs and energy usage, and our expert team provides on-site, around-the-clock support to maximise performance and flexibility for customer workloads.
Founded in 2012, our Icelandic data center campus powers some of the world’s most innovative and demanding industries, including financial services, earth sciences, life sciences, engineering, scientific research and AI.
About Wirth:
Founded by esteemed motorsport designer and former youngest-ever Fellow of the Royal Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Nick Wirth, Wirth Research’s mission is to make life more enjoyable and more sustainable through technology. They are able to make buildings better to live, work and shop in; to make vehicles more energy-efficient; and do all of this while providing our clients with a compelling return on their investment.
Their products include the EcoBlade™ – a twin-bladed strip fitted to the front of fridge shelves to reduce cold air being lost into the aisles, using the same techniques that channel airflow more efficiently around racing cars to enable them to corner at higher speeds. And the AirDoor, a mechatronic archway situated at a building’s entrance which uses an active, targeted airflow to improve internal comfort whilst also improving the building’s energy efficiency.
Wirth Research also specialises in the research, design and manufacture of cutting-edge engineering solutions. Recent projects have included Apple Inc.’s corporate headquarters, Apple Park in California, central London skyscraper 22 Bishopsgate and the award-winning Bloomberg European HQ – the world’s most sustainable office building – as well as helping multiple supermarket chains to substantially reduce their store energy usage and CO2 emissions.
