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Madrid University Joins Data Center/High Performance Computing Ed Program

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 12/09/13

A Madrid university has become the latest institution to join a university program that introduces students to technologies used in data center and high performance computing environments. Universidad Autonoma de Madrid has become the 50th education member of Solarflare's University Program.

Solarflare produces hardware and network interface software that changes how applications work on networks. The ApplicationOnload Engine, for example, shifts application processing to the network adapter, which, according to the company, boosts application performance reduces network latency, and improves utilization of CPU, memory, and input/output resources.

The university program, which launched in 2012, provides access to the company's hardware and development kits at a "substantial educational discount" specifically for classroom instruction in computer science and computer engineering.

The Future Computing Technology Laboratory at Clemson University in South Carolina has been part of the program for a year. "By leveraging Solarflare's competence in application-intelligence networking, students can better address the real-time network data processing challenges that plague the largest organizations around the globe," said Melissa Smith, assistant professor in the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Future Computing Tech Lab researches reconfigurable computing and provides researchers and students with advanced computing infrastructure.

At Columbia University, the ApplicationOnload Engine has been used for instruction and student projects focusing on the algorithms used in application programming and the use of 10 gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) in the financial market.

The latest American institution to join the Solarflare program is Princeton, which signed on in July.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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