Eaton launches powerful High Performance Computing cluster to accelerate Arc Modeling and Simulation

July 6, 2020

PRAGUE, Czech Republic … Power management company Eaton today announced the completion of its most powerful High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster to date.

Built by Eaton’s European Innovation Center (EEIC) and Global Arc Modeling and Simulation Center of Excellence (AMS-CoE), the cluster will be used in the development of crucial electrical components like circuit breakers, fuses, and surge protection devices, as well as in the design of arc-resistant switchgear.

Eaton’s Electrical Sector business units in the US, EMEA and Asia-Pacific rely on powerful HPC capabilities for the arc modeling and simulation work that’s an integral part of product development. For instance, Eaton’s new globally rated Power Defense circuit breakers were developed with arc simulation support.

Based on Dell server nodes, the new HPC cluster features the latest generation of AMD EPYC™ processors, 1,856 processing cores, and high-speed Mellanox InfiniBand interconnect cables. Eaton’s teams will be able to complete typical arc simulations six to 10 times faster, as well as perform Virtual Design of Experiments to create more accurate, superior solutions.

Arc Modeling and Simulation computing is based on advanced plasma physics and can replicate many simultaneous and interrelated phenomena—including current flow, magnetic fields, localized heating in excess of 10,000 K, radiation, ablation, and plasma or hot gas flow to moving contacts.

“High Performance Computing is a crucial driving force behind scientific, academic, and commercial innovation today,” says Wilbert de Vries, AMS-CoE leader, Eaton. “As such, I’m thrilled we’ve made this significant investment in powerful computing capabilities that will help us advance electrical innovation and build a safer and more sustainable future for everyone. I’m also incredibly proud of the flexibility and dedication our teams showed in completing this cluster by collaborating remotely via web conferences to ensure the project was finished on schedule.”

Worldwide, Eaton has invested around $3.1 billion in R&D over the last five years—supporting a network of six innovation centers and more than 10,000 dedicated engineers.

Eaton’s mission is to improve the quality of life and the environment through the use of power management technologies and services. We provide sustainable solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power – more safely, more efficiently and more reliably. Eaton’s 2019 revenues were $21.4 billion, and we sell products to customers in more than 175 countries. We have approximately 97,000 employees. For more information, visit Eaton.com