Kiger's Notebook

Cray's Jaguar tops IBM's Roadrunner as fast computer in world

IBM's Roadrunner is no longer the fastest computer in the world.Cray's Jaguar has pulled off a stunning victory, kind of like Wile E. Coyote catching that other roadrunner.

Here's some from the announcement by the bi-annual Top500 Conference. I should have more on this later:

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In its third run to knock the IBM supercomputer nicknamed “Roadrunner” off the top perch on the TOP500 list of supercomputers, the Cray XT5 supercomputer known as Jaguar finally claimed the top spot on the 34th edition of the closely watched list.

The newest version of the TOP500 list, which is issued twice yearly, will be formally presented on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the SC09 Conference to be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.

Jaguar, which is located at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility and was upgraded earlier this year, posted a 1.75 petaflop/s performance speed running the Linpack benchmark.

When the Roadrunner system at Los Alamos first appeared at the top of the June 2008 TOP500 list, it was the world’s first petaflop/s supercomputer. This time around, Roadrunner recorded a performance of 1.04 petaflops, dropping from 1.105 petaflop/s in June 2009 due to a repartitioning of the system.

Kraken, another upgraded Cray XT5 system at the National Institute for Computational Sciences/University of Tennessee, claimed the No. 3 position with a performance of 832 teraflop/s (trillions of calculations per second).

At No. 4 is the most powerful system outside the U.S. -- an IBM BlueGene/P supercomputer located at the Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ) in Germany. It achieved 825.5 teraflop/s on the Linpack benchmark and was No. 3 in June 2009.

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• IBM and Hewlett-Packard continue to sell the bulk of systems at all performance levels of the TOP500. HP kept a narrow lead in systems with 210 systems (42 percent) over IBM with 186 systems (37.2 percent). HP had 212 systems (42.4 percent) six months ago, compared to IBM with 188 systems (37.6 percent). In the system category, Cray, SGI, and Dell follow with 3.8 percent, 3.8 percent and 3.2 percent respectively.
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• IBM remains the clear leader in the TOP500 list in performance with 35.1 percent of installed total performance (down from 39.4 percent), compared to HP with 23.0 percent (down from 25.1 percent). In the performance category, the manufacturers with more than 5 percent are: Cray (15.9 percent of performance) and SGI (6.6 percent), each of which benefits from large systems in the TOP10.

IBM Power Systems/i Series/ AS400 users unite

Here's an interesting grass roots group that started in Japan.

iManifest is all about keeping the descendants of the Rochester-built AS/400 server alive and vibrant.

Wonder how we could get such a group started for newspapers? Hhhmmm.... Anyway....

A group is being formed in the U.S. and Rochester-based Dr. Frank Soltis, the father of the AS/400, joined the cause last week.

The goals of the group are:

• • To revitalize the IBM i market and increase the customer base.
• To assure IBM i customers, resellers and ISVs selling IBM i solutions that IBM i will not only survive but continue to prosper.
• To inform the wider IT community of the unique value proposition of the IBM i server.

Here's a little from the announcement of Soltis' joining the cause:

When asked about his new board seat Dr. Soltis replied, “I have been a supporter of iManifest since its beginnings in Japan.

I believe in the objectives that they are working toward. So when the iManifest team in the U.S. invited me to join the board it was a good fit.

I look forward to continuing to work with the iManifest groups worldwide.”  

Seven patents issued for Roch., Minn. inventors today

Random fact - When the weekly announcement of the awarding of patents was made today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, seven of the patents were issued to inventors in Rochester, Minn.

That's out of the 44 U.S. patents that came out today.

Six of those seven went to people that work for IBM Rochester. The seventh was issued to someone that works for Pharmexa Inc.

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Here's the list of patents:

1. Allocating entitled processor cycles for preempted virtual processors

2  Maintain owning application information of data for a data storage system
3  Deferring refreshes during calibrations in memory systems
4  Efficient memory usage in systems including volatile and high-density memories
5  Selectively removing entities from a user interface displaying network entities
6  Alarm system for hearing impaired individuals having hearing assistive implanted devices
7  Inducing cellular immune responses to hepatitis B virus using peptide compositions

IBM to cover all primary health care for employees

Here's an interesting tidbit I spotted on www.Bloggingstocks.com of all places this morning. This piece by David Schepp says that IBM will pick up all primary care costs for employees starting in 2010.

That means no co-pays or deductibles, I guess. I'll do some checking on this myself.

Here's some from the bloggingstocks.com story:

In an era in which employers increasingly are having to shift more health-care costs onto employees, IBM is taking the unprecedented tack of opting to pick up all expenses related to primary care for U.S.-based employees, beginning next year. In doing so, IBM is is among the first U.S. companies to cover primary care at 100%, the Armonk, N.Y.-based computing giant said Thursday.

The move means employees will not be subject to co-pays or deductibles for in-network primary care with their internist, general or family practitioner, pediatrician or primary osteopath. IBM said it was able to boost coverage due to the company's success in implementing wellness programs, an effort begun five years ago.
"As a result of our focus on wellness and primary care, IBM employees have become healthier and our costs are rising more slowly," said Randy MacDonald, senior vice president of human resources in a statement. The new benefit will apply to all IBM-self insured medical plans, which include PPO, PPO Plus and EPO options and currently cover about 80% of all U.S.-based employees, Big Blue said.

A self-insured plan is one in which health costs are borne by the employer, with an insurance company acting as an administrator. IBM noted that other employees participate in HMO plans, which typically provide most, but not all, preventive and primary services at low or no cost.

Employees will still contribute a share of premium costs, IBM said.

IBM also said it's introducing a new wellness incentive "to encourage changes in lifestyle to build energy, better health and vitality" through the implementation of rebates of $150, one of five such incentives IBM offers U.S.-based workers. Employees who participate in initiatives, which promote mental, physical and emotional well-being, receive the rebates upon completion of select programs.

Employees can chose any two rebates to receive up to $300 in cash a year, IBM said.

Mavo on the move

An accidental blaze in January ruined plans to expand its Rochester office, but Mavo Systems now has a new and much larger place to call home in Med City.

Mavo Systems, an environmental and mechanical systems contractor, closed on the purchase Friday of a 9,000-square-foot building at 3030 Prow Lane N.E., near Valleyhigh Drive Northwest.

Dana Krakowski, Mavo’s director of sales, says the firm based in White Bear Lake, Minn., has about 50 on staff in Rochester. It has been working out of the ex-Mill’s Fleet Farm store on U.S. 63 South since the fire at 6844 10th Ave. S.W.

Why have such a large presence in Rochester?

“We do a lot of work for Mayo Clinic and IBM and Rochester Public Schools,” she says.

The firm does environmental work like removing asbestos, lead and toxic flooring. It also does mechanical installation, flooring treatments like polishing concrete as well as other services.

IBM's 2009 3Q earnings - income up 14%

I'll wade through this and see if there is any direct-Rochester issues.

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Third-quarter net income was $3.2 billion compared with $2.8 billion in the third quarter of 2008, an increase of 14 percent.  Total revenues for the third quarter of 2009 of $23.6 billion increased 1 percent from the second quarter of 2009, and decreased 7 percent (5 percent, adjusting for currency) from the third quarter of 2008.

 IBM REPORTS 2009 THIRD-QUARTER RESULTS

 ·  Diluted earnings of $2.40 per share, up 18 percent;

·   Full-year 2009 EPS expectations raised to at least $9.85 from at least $9.70;

·    Net income of $3.2 billion, up 14 percent; net margin of 13.6 percent, up 2.5 points;

·    Free cash flow of $3.4 billion, up $1.3 billion year-to-year;

·    Cash balance of $11.5 billion, while reducing debt $4 billion in third quarter;

·            Pre-tax income margin of 18.6 percent, up 3.2 points;

·            Gross profit margin of 45.1 percent, up 1.8 points; up 20 of last 21 quarters;

·            Revenue of $23.6 billion, up 1 percent quarter-to-quarter; down 7 percent, or 5 percent adjusting for currency year-to-year;

·            Software pre-tax margin of 32.1 percent, up 6.2 points; profit up 21 percent;

·            Services pre-tax margin of 14.9 percent, up 2.4 points; profit up 11 percent;

·            Services signings of $11.8 billion; 13 services deals greater than $100 million;

·            Services backlog of $134 billion, up $5 billion year-to-year;

·            Market share gains in hardware and software.

IBM's 2009 3Q earnings = Thurs.

Not sure if anything specific to Rochester will come out in this report, but Big Blue will release its Third Quarter earnings Thursday after the markets close.

We'll see if IBM can keep increasing earnings, despite flat or slumping sales.

Here's some tidbits from AP's preview of what is expected in this report:

• OVERVIEW: Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM has managed to keep boosting profits despite the recession and slumping sales, a fact that speaks to the company's reliance on technology services and software. Those are two things many companies are still willing to pay for, because they help save money by offloading or automating information-technology chores. IBM's numbers are in some ways a gauge of the health of corporate spending on technology, but only in very specific areas, like outsourcing and tech services and software that will help those companies save money over the long term.

• BY THE NUMBERS: Analysts expect IBM to earn $2.38 per share on $23.38 billion in sales. In the same quarter last year, IBM earned $2.04 per share on $25.3 billion in sales.

• ANALYST TAKE: Keith Bachman, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a note to clients Monday that he believes IBM's stock has underperformed recently because of investor fears about the company's ability to boost revenue.

However, with an improving economic climate, "IBM should be able to show some amount of revenue upside compared with Street estimates in the next two quarters (more likely the December quarter)," Bachman wrote.

IBM to buy SPSS, formerly Showcase in Roch.

Whoa. Start a day a little later and you miss all kinds of stuff.

So two tech entities with Rochester enclaves – IBM and analytics software company SPSS – are engaged. 

IBM announced a deal today to buy the software company for $1.2 billion.

With the local IBM campus as well as SPSS – the ex-Showcase – with a large number of Rochester employees, this seems like it could be a big deal for the Med City. Not sure how many specifics, like what this might mean for Rochester workers or if IBM could absorb SPSS onto its campus, are available yet. I have the calls in.

Here's a little from a Q & A that came out with the announcement:

Q: How will SPSS customers benefit?
A: SPSS customers will immediately benefit from the combined technologies and skills of both companies, giving them an open standards-based information infrastructure with analytics expertise and global resources to help optimize their businesses and maximize enterprise performance.  They will also benefit from the increased investment, global reach, industry expertise and support available from IBM.  

Q: Why is SPSS being acquired by IBM?
A: Today's business environment is fundamentally different – new economics, globalization, massive interconnections and increased risk, coupled with an explosion of information.  Organizations need to do more than just sense and respond to current business conditions; they must be able to predict those conditions and then act.  Predictive Analytics is the critical enabling technology needed to achieve these efficiencies because it detects and analyzes patterns in historical and current transaction data as well as attitudinal survey data to help organizations predict potential future outcomes and determine the best actions to take. 

Q: What is predictive analytics software (PASW) and what value does it provide? 
A: Predictive analytics software captures and analyzes data about people's attributes, attitudes and behaviors to gain a full understanding of anticipated future behaviors, applying these insights into business processes to improve outcomes. 

The key is to help our clients create greater value from data assets in all areas for unique, predictive insights in real-time that will enable them to predict future and make smarter decisions for improved business outcomes. This technology enables clients to create and apply data mining models to uncover hidden patterns in data, visualize data patterns to gain instant insight and quickly apply that insight to predict the outcomes of interactions even before they occur, while capturing essential information about people's attitudes and opinions. It provides insights into complex questions with the ability to predict potential future outcomes. 

SPSS' predictive capabilities can also be coupled with those of another recent IBM acquisition, ILOG, which offers business rules and advanced mathematical models that are highly complementary for optimizing business decisions.

IBM 2Q earnings coming - what do you want to know?

On Thursday, IBM will kick out its 2 quarter earnings report. This means the standard press release and numbers.

To change things up a bit, I thought I'd check in with the astute readers of this blog. What do you want to know about IBM's 2Q earnings report? What are your questions?

Let me know. It is possible I might be able to get them answered.

Here's an interesting preview tidbit from the Associated Press about IBM's upcoming report. It might help inspire some questions.

• Why it's important: As one of the world's largest corporate technology suppliers, IBM's results say a lot about how much businesses are willing to spend on everything from computer servers to software and consulting services. But it can be tricky to read those results for clues about the broader economy. 

For one thing, IBM right now is booking revenue on contracts that may have been signed months or even years ago. Second, in a down economy, companies often turn to IBM's outsourcing services as a way to save money, so IBM's sales can go up even while everything else is going down.

The best way to interpret IBM's results for signs of the health of the overall economy is in the company's overall forecast.

• What the experts say: On average, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect IBM to earn $2.02 per share on $23.58 billion in revenue. In the same quarter of last year, the company reported a profit of $1.98 per share on revenue of $26.8 billion.

• You'll know the economy is improving if: IBM's sales show some improvement that can't be attributed mainly to weakness in the dollar. Another encouraging sign would be if the company raises its already-bullish forecast for $9.20 per share in profit in 2009.

• You'll know the economy is not improving if: IBM backs off the forecast at all.

• The quote: Brian Marshall, an analyst with Broadpoint.AmTech, wrote in a research note Thursday that IBM's management has "navigated the turbulent "economic currents" over the past decade with fine stewardship," but cautioned there might be little room left for IBM to keep wringing out increases in its profit margin.

IBM = 6 of top 10 slots on fastest supercomputer list

Lots of data flowing this a.m. about the bi-annual Top 500 Supercomputer list presented in Germany today.

For the local IBM fans, Big Blue took all of the odd spots in the top 10 - 1 (Roadrunner - the petaflop wunderkind), 3, 5, 7 and 9. And IBM machines in Germany and Saudi Arabia also made appearances on the list with the JUGENE Blue Gene/P in Germany taking the third fastest spot.

However, H-P made a push this year and had 212 computers on the list compared to IBM's 184.

Other stuff Big Blue is rolling out along with the list is announcements about a new water-cooled process (Reminds me of Hardcore Computer) and its intention to break the next computing speed barrier - the exaflop.

Exaflop is equal to one million trillion calculations in a second by a single computer. That's 1,000 times faster than Roadrunner. At that point, aren't we leaving science behind and going into the area of "magic"?

Wild and wacky stuff.

More coming soon.