Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has announced the $1.4 billion acquisition of supercomputing firm Cray, as the tech giant looks to lead the exascale era of high-performance computing (HPC).
Completed earlier than its initial target date, the deal will enable customers to dive deeper into their data through AI, machine learning and big data analytics, as HPC becomes an increasingly-key component of HPE’s vision and growth strategy.
As well as an extended HPC and AI portfolio, customers will also benefit from increased R&D infrastructure and expertise to aid with the development of new products and solutions, as well as improved supercomputing service and support.
HPE also expects to roll out HPC as a service and AI/ML analytics through its GreenLake model, which it says will offer customers increased choice, flexibility and speed to market.
“Bringing together Cray and HPE establishes the most comprehensive end-to-end portfolio across compute, storage, software and services in the fast-growing high-performance computing and artificial intelligence market segments,” commented Phil Davis, president of Hybrid IT at HPE. “We are united in our vision to be a global leader in high-performance computing.
“By combining the teams’ deep expertise and R&D engines, we are better positioned to help our customers solve their most data-intensive challenges both today and well into the future.”
The move comes at a time of strong customer growth for Cray. In the last two quarters, The Department of Energy has selected its Shasta supercomputing systems and Slingshot interconnect for the US’ first three exascale systems. The Shasta systems have also generated upwards of $1.5 billion in bookings to date.
HPE has also been making waves in the field, announcing a four-year, multi-phase collaboration with NASA’s Ames Research Center to build its new ‘Aitken’ supercomputer, which will support modelling and simulations of entry, descent and landing for future lunar missions.
As part of HPE’s latest acquisition, Cray president and CEO Peter Ungaro will join the firm as head of its HPC and AI business unit in Hybrid IT.
“Cray and HPE have a shared vision for the new exascale era, and by joining forces, we’re offering the promise of Cray’s technology to an expanded market with the opportunity to leverage HPE’s breadth, scale and innovation to bring supercomputing to the enterprise,” Ungaro said.
