Intel expands supercomputing presence

Intel, the largest supplier of microprocessors for desktops, is expanding further into high-performance computing, according to a study released yesterday, reports Reuters.

Of the top 500 supercomputers in the world, 119 were Intel-based, up from 56 six months ago and three a year ago, according to the Top 500 List, compiled by the University of Mannheim in Germany, the University of Tennessee and the National Energy Research Supercomputer Centre at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

While supercomputing has been predominant in research institutions, more and more companies, like banks, are using it for applications such as complex number-crunching. "This is a major shift in this marketplace," according to a statement on the Top 500 List. "With this increase, the Intel processor family joins IBM`s Power architecture and Hewlett-Packard`s PA-RISC chips as one of the dominant processors used in high performance computing systems."

Apple has completed its Safari beta programme, which had nearly five million downloads since its initial release on 7 January. Safari will now be the default browser for all newly introduced Macintosh computers, starting with the Power Mac G5 announced today.

Apple also released a software development kit that allows developers to embed the Safari HTML rendering engine directly into their applications.

Cisco has expanded its security certification and training programme. The vendor added two new security design training courses, Designing Perimeter Security and Designing VPN Security, and has also updated exams for the CCSP, Cisco Firewall Specialist, Cisco VPN Specialist and Cisco IDS Specialist certifications.

These courses are available in SA through Torque-IT, a Cisco learning solutions partner.

Apple has introduced Xcode, a set of developer tools embodying "the fastest way to create Mac OS X applications". It combines a Unix-based development environment, a user interface and performance technologies including Fix and Continue, Zero Link and Distributed Build.

"Xcode delivers performance improvements that are five times faster than Apple`s previous generation developer tools, delivering significantly faster turnaround times for developers creating applications for Mac OS X," the company states.

British scientists have developed a radar-based system that can see through walls and behind closed doors.

According to a report in SACM, quoting The Register, the system, devised by UK radar research company Cambridge Consultants, uses low-frequency radio pulses to penetrate walls that are up to 25cm thick. The device scans in the horizontal and vertical planes to build up a picture of objects within a 3D space beyond the wall.