HPE to Open AI Supercomputer Factory in Czech Republic
HPE is building its first European factory for AI systems in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, in collaboration with Foxconn, Apple's hardware manufacturer. This strategic move by HPE is aimed at advancing AL and ML initiatives and fostering innovation in the region. The new factory, set to open this summer, will be located next to HPE's European servers and storage manufacturing plant, further enhancing the company's manufacturing capabilities.
The Czech Republic site will serve as HPE's fourth global HPC manufacturing facility and will focus on producing next-generation high-performance computing (HPC) systems. This expansion will enable HPE to enhance its hardware manufacturing capabilities, ensuring a more robust and resilient supply chain. Justin Hotard, HPE's Executive Vice President and General Manager for HPC & AI, highlighted the significance of the new factory in strengthening HPE's manufacturing capabilities.
The collaboration with Foxconn, a well-known Taiwanese contract manufacturer, will see the production and shipment of two main products: the HPE Apollo systems and the HPE Cray EX supercomputers. The Apollo systems are designed for HPC applications, including AI modeling and training, with the Gen10 Plus version supporting up to four hot-pluggable servers in a 2U chassis. On the other hand, the Cray EX is a liquid-cooled, blade-based, high-density cluster system known for its advanced capabilities in the AI space.
The HPE Cray EX will serve as the foundation for one of the world's most powerful AI-capable supercomputers, the Alps system. Developed in collaboration with Nvidia and the Swiss National Supercomputing Center (CSCS), the Alps system is expected to revolutionize research in fields such as quantum chemistry and astrophysics. HPE's acquisition of supercomputer firm, Cray, in a $1.4 billion deal in 2019, has significantly bolstered its position in the supercomputing industry.
HPE's statement underscores the comprehensive HPC and AI capabilities of its product lines, spanning compute, accelerated compute, software, networking, storage, and liquid-cooled capabilities. The establishment of the new factory in Czech Republic marks a significant milestone for HPE in strengthening its supercomputer supply chain in Europe.
This story originally appeared on AI Business.
