DETROIT -- Mazda Motor Corp. said Friday it has ordered a high- performance supercomputer from Cray Research Inc., marking the first use of Cray's new Y-MP2E/232 in Japan.
The Y-MP2E/232, a compact, energy-efficient and air-cooled supercomputer valued at about $8 million, will be ready for operation early next year.
It will be the third supercomputer to be put to use at Mazda, joining the NEC SX-2A and the Cray X-MP/216 in the automaker's computer-aided engineering system.
Cray, headquartered in Minneapolis, said the order is the second placed for the Y-MP2E system and the first placed from outside the United States.
Increasing demand on research-and-development capacity led Mazda to acquire the Y-MP2E/232, which offers approximately three times the performance of the Cray X-MP/216.
Mazda expects the new supercomputer to increase simulation capacity in areas such as crash analysis, for improved vehicle safety. The supercomputer will also be used for vehicle structural analysis with the aim of achievingsignificant weight reduction for improved fuel economy.
The first Cray supercomputer, introduced in April last year, has been used in crash analysis.
Cray designs, manufactures, markets and supports large-scale, high- performance computer systems for scientific and engineering applications.
