HPC from A-Z (part 4) - D

Today’s HPC ABC will focus on the letter D.

Design – HPC computing is a great environment for Computer Aided Design. It allows designers to perform complex analyses that can result in a range of benefits – from more efficient aircraft design to faster cars and complex architectural renderings.

Simpson Strong-Tie produces structural products for building safer, stronger homes and buildings and has done for nearly 50 years. Concrete modelling might not seem very hi-tech but the team rely on HPC to simulate the strength of designs in rapid time. The alternative, manually building physical models, involves a lot more effort, a lot more concrete and takes 14 times longer.

What does the future hold for HPC and design? Maybe I’ve watched too many science fiction films, but I can see a time when HPC can help us in our mission to reach distant planets that are outside our solar system, by aiding spacecraft design. Who knows, maybe we’ll scrap traditional urban planning and just use HPC to model entire cities, using building designs that withstand extreme weather and earthquakes.

The sky is the limit when it comes to HPC and design; the possibilities are endless. I really believe that HPC is a great playground for creative people. As Margaret Atwood said, “The techno-scientific world has some of the most creative people you'll ever meet”.

Next week we’ll look at HPC and the letter E.