DDN Selected by International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research

DataDirect Networks, Inc. (DDN) announced
that the International Centre for Radio
Astronomy Research (ICRAR) has partnered with DDN to
develop part of a system architecture capable of processing over one Exabyte of
data per day to support the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a $1.5B scientific instrument intended to be
the world’s most powerful telescope.

At the center of this partnership are engineering and application architecture
enhancements to exploit DDN Storage Fusion Architecture (SFA) In-Storage Processing
technology to leverage the advantages of executing data processing within a
scalable data storage platform.

It is a unified virtual server and storage
appliance featuring DDN’s In-Storage Processing technology.
Proven over 3 years of market availability, this virtualized environment
eliminates externalized data processing systems and allows data-intensive
applications to exist within the storage engine accelerating data access,
minimizing latency and lowering the cost and complexity of data-intensive
computing.

"DDN is pleased to partner with
ICRAR on this project and to be recognized as a technology leader in the design
of massively scalable systems which advance the scientific agenda of the
worldwide research community," said Alex Bouzari, CEO and co-founder,
DDN. "This project
is a great example of the potential of big data: cutting-edge researchers
turning exabytes of machine-generated data into valuable information. DDN’s
In-Storage Processing technology is a showcase example of how advanced storage
processing tools can maximize the value of our customer’s information to
achieve unprecedented scientific understanding. Our experience and leadership
at enabling the most demanding big data programs such as ICRAR uniquely
benefits any customer in any industry facing big data challenges."

Based in Perth, Australia, ICRAR is a joint venture between Curtin University
and The University of Western Australia (UWA) to facilitate research
in astronomical science and engineering.

"DataDirect Networks is the
recognized world leader in solutions for the type of massively scalable
data-processing required for the incredible scale of the SKA telescope,"
said professor Andreas Wicenec, head of computing for ICRAR. "This project combines our expertise
implementing and using in-storage processing of astronomical data based on
commodity hardware with the most advanced HPC storage appliance supporting
in-storage processing. With this combination we are very well prepared to
design, develop and test solutions for the SKA data challenge."

UWA recently installed a new Fornax supercomputer, which is 10,000 times faster
than an average office desktop computer, to help drive Australia’s powerful new
radio telescopes. DDN’s previous work on the Australian precursor radio
telescopes, the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) and the Australian SKA
Pathfinder (ASKAP), helped to inform its development of the storage solution
for the SKA.