High Performance Computing with Azure

A service pack for Windows HPC Server 2008 R2, Microsoft’s high-performance computing (HPC) platform, adds the ability to use Windows Azure resources as HPC nodes and manage them as if they were part of the HPC cluster.

Windows HPC Server is a special x64 edition of Windows Server 2008 that runs HPC applications on arrays of computers (called compute nodes) under the control of one or more management servers (the head nodes). The computers work in parallel to solve computer-intensive problems.

Along with other improvements, HPC Pack 2008 R2 SP1 allows users to use Windows Azure resources as needed for HPC jobs. With appropriate Azure accounts, HPC users can use existing Azure worker roles, or deploy new ones, and then incorporate them into an HPC installation as Azure worker nodes (nodes running in a Microsoft data center but scheduled by the on-premises head node and running HPC applications). The ability to use Azure worker nodes allows creation of an HPC solution that consists of an on-premises dedicated cluster of compute nodes, a combination of dedicated cluster and Windows 7 workstation nodes, a completely Azure-based solution where only the head node is on-premises, or a combination of all three. The feature can help organizations meet peak capacity without permanent investments in the hardware and software necessary for peak loads.