Bangkok--7 Mar--IBM Thailand
Smarter Computing creates deeper understanding of the economic and social impact of climate change and disease in Thailand
IBM (NYSE: IBM) has announced three commercial agreements with leading institutions in Thailand where it has supplied high performance computing solutions to accelerate the country’s emerging research capabilities.
IBM supplied high performance computing solutions to the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), and to the Department of Chemistry at Chulalongkorn University, who shall all use the systems to perform advanced research, complex calculations, and sophisticated simulations.
In particular, the three institutions will collaborate on projects that will help deliver insights into national priority areas such as climate change and weather prediction, monitoring and control of big diseases such as HIV, Bird Flu and Cancer, as well as deepen research capabilities in energetic particle physics.
“Our high-performance computing (HPC) solutions will enable the wider development of Thailand’s Research capability in line with its national priorities. IBM is supporting these implementations by providing expertise in Deep Computing from around the world. IBM has also established a network among Thai researchers, enabling them to collaborate, share resources and access trainings in innovative technologies,” said Parnsiree Amatayakul, Managing Director, IBM Thailand.
Thailand is in the process of transforming its $21 billion ICT sector from being a globally recognized hardware production centre to creating a more holistic ecosystem that can support emerging demand for intelligent solutions and specialized research in the region.
Last year, Thailand’s government unveiled its ICT master plan named “Smart Thailand”, which places greater emphasis on an ICT driven economy to leverage increased opportunities to develop specialized technology fields such as research. The plan aims to create new avenues for investment and development of a robust research hub of which the three universities are part.
IBM intends to support R&D efforts in Thailand by providing access to the solutions for government agencies, businesses and researchers to help strengthen the country’s research capabilities as well as develop talent in the country as a whole.
ADPC, which monitors the effects of climate change in the ASEAN region, is using an IBM Power 775 solution to fine tune its weather prediction and disaster forecasting abilities, with the aim of managing risk and providing advance information on weather changes to the 23 countries the body covers.
“Advanced technology tools for sophisticated modeling allow us to provide accurate weather forecasts and suggest efficient measures to overcome disasters in the countries we cover. We believe this new solution will help prevent economic and social losses caused by natural disasters in this region,” said Dr. Pichit Rattakul, Senior Adviser, ADPC.
Scientists at the Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University will use an IBM HPC solution to conduct in-depth studies on HIV, influenza, and Bird Flu virus and is also extending its scope of coverage to cover new diseases such as cancer.
“We are also currently studying cancer cells, where the HPC solution is able to help with three major capabilities — high-performance for floating point operations, high-capacity hard disks, and very large system memory. HPC systems help accelerate our job as time is the most important factor for scientific R&D projects and we anticipate this will bring direct benefits to our society,” said Dr. Vudhichai Parasuk, Assistant Professor, Head of Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University.
At NECTEC, IBM has deployed iDataPlex dx360 servers and DS3000 storage systems to enable deep research in energetic particle physics to facilitate insights into climate change, water resource, energy and environment management, computational science and engineering.
“IBM systems are helping our researchers to become more successful on R&D projects that have tangible benefits such as high-resolution weather modeling that deliver more accurate insights for improved agricultural policy-making and planning and more effective water allocation.” said Dr. Sornthep Vannarat, acting director of Large Scale Simulation Research Laboratory, NSTDA, Ministry of Science and Technology.
IBM is strongly committed to developing innovative solutions that provide a competitive edge in the new era of computing for customers worldwide. IBM Thailand is working to deliver HPC technology and expertise for supporting Thailand’s R&D efforts and enhance the country’s potential and capabilities in R&D areas.
Media Contact: Communications, IBM Thailand Co.,Ltd.
Chinnaree Tanmanee, Tel. 02 273 4676,
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