Case Studies National Centre for Nuclear Research

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	National Centre for Nuclear Research

National Centre for Nuclear Research

Technology Category	Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software
Applicable Industries	National Security & Defense
Applicable Functions	Business Operation Facility Management
Services	Hardware Design & Engineering Services Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration
Challenge	Following the UK's agreement in 1996 to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, AWE's work must be completed without actual test firing of weapons. This poses enormous technical and engineering challenges, necessitating high performance computing (HPC) systems for simulation, modeling, design, plasma physics, materials science, and hydrodynamics. AWE has invested significantly in its HPC capability, operating several supercomputing platforms. The demands on networking are significant, requiring cutting-edge technology to manage the high volume of calculations and data generated. Read More
About Customer	The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) is located on a 750-acre site in Aldermaston, Berkshire, and plays a crucial role in the UK's defense. It is responsible for the design, build, maintenance, and decommissioning of the UK's Trident warheads. Managed by a consortium of Serco Group plc, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Jacobs Engineering Group since 2000, AWE employs around 4,500 staff and 2,000 contractors. The site and facilities are owned by the government, but the day-to-day management of Britain's nuclear stockpile is contracted out. AWE has been central to the UK's nuclear defense for over 60 years. Read More
Solution	AWE decided to separate its HPC and corporate networks, building a new dedicated HPC network managed by the HPC team. They installed nine Arista 7508E modular data center switches, along with 400 short and long-range 40GbE optics. This made AWE one of the first organizations in Europe to deploy 40GbE Arista switch technology on such a scale. The Arista EOS operating system allowed AWE to write custom scripts and applications for security and monitoring. The new network guarantees a 'lossless' Ethernet environment, crucial for AWE's IBM-based multi-petabyte storage platform. The flexibility and openness of Arista's EOS were key factors in their selection. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services

Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet

Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software

Applicable Industries

National Security & Defense

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Facility Management

Services

Hardware Design & Engineering Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

System Integration

Challenge

Following the UK's agreement in 1996 to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, AWE's work must be completed without actual test firing of weapons. This poses enormous technical and engineering challenges, necessitating high performance computing (HPC) systems for simulation, modeling, design, plasma physics, materials science, and hydrodynamics. AWE has invested significantly in its HPC capability, operating several supercomputing platforms. The demands on networking are significant, requiring cutting-edge technology to manage the high volume of calculations and data generated.

About Customer

The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) is located on a 750-acre site in Aldermaston, Berkshire, and plays a crucial role in the UK's defense. It is responsible for the design, build, maintenance, and decommissioning of the UK's Trident warheads. Managed by a consortium of Serco Group plc, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and Jacobs Engineering Group since 2000, AWE employs around 4,500 staff and 2,000 contractors. The site and facilities are owned by the government, but the day-to-day management of Britain's nuclear stockpile is contracted out. AWE has been central to the UK's nuclear defense for over 60 years.

Solution

AWE decided to separate its HPC and corporate networks, building a new dedicated HPC network managed by the HPC team. They installed nine Arista 7508E modular data center switches, along with 400 short and long-range 40GbE optics. This made AWE one of the first organizations in Europe to deploy 40GbE Arista switch technology on such a scale. The Arista EOS operating system allowed AWE to write custom scripts and applications for security and monitoring. The new network guarantees a 'lossless' Ethernet environment, crucial for AWE's IBM-based multi-petabyte storage platform. The flexibility and openness of Arista's EOS were key factors in their selection.

Impact #1	The new HPC network has removed bottlenecks and improved throughput and performance fourfold.
Impact #2	Reliability has been enhanced, allowing AWE to use its key platforms, including IBM storage, to the maximum.
Impact #3	The new network has made AWE's team of scientists and engineers more efficient and productive.

Impact #1

The new HPC network has removed bottlenecks and improved throughput and performance fourfold.

Impact #2

Reliability has been enhanced, allowing AWE to use its key platforms, including IBM storage, to the maximum.

Impact #3

The new network has made AWE's team of scientists and engineers more efficient and productive.

Benefit #1	AWE's new HPC network supports 400 short and long-range 40GbE optics.
Benefit #2	The new network has improved performance fourfold compared to the previous setup.
Benefit #3	The HPC network can aggregate ten 40GbE connections to create a bandwidth of 400 gigabits.

Benefit #1

AWE's new HPC network supports 400 short and long-range 40GbE optics.

Benefit #2

The new network has improved performance fourfold compared to the previous setup.

Benefit #3

The HPC network can aggregate ten 40GbE connections to create a bandwidth of 400 gigabits.

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Overview

National Centre for Nuclear Research

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit