Bangkok--25 Aug--Hill & Knowlton Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Ltd. in conjunction with the Thai National Grid Center under Software Industry Promotion Agency, and Kasetsart University has announced the results of the National Super Computing Contest 2008 at an award ceremony for the contest which held in July. The National Super Computing Contest 2008 provided high-school students with an opportunity to be trained and compete in developing a parallel computing application. The contest was organised in cooperation between HP, Thai National Grid Center under the Software Industry Promotion Agency and, Kasetsart University. Assist. Prof. Dr Putchong Uthayopas, Director of the Thai National Grid Center, revealed “The objective of this competition is to build awareness and educate young generation people about the importance of grid and parallel computing technology. This year, the National Super Computing Contest 2008 is a major success with 374 students participating in pre-competition training on parallel and grid technology. Then, 73 teams from 40 schools nationwide applied to compete in the competition with a total enrollment of 217 students.” Dr. Putchong continued “With this huge success, we plan to stage the National Super Computing Contest again in 2009. It is important to educate people early on the impact of these new emerging technologies such as grid, parallel computing, and multi-core technology. We need to make sure that Thailand will have enough manpower who understands how to harness the computing power from these emerging platforms.” “The National Super Computing Contest successfully helped Thai high-school students nationwide develop their grid technology skills through pre-competition training at schools across the country while providing students with the opportunity to exhibit their management, communication, and teamwork talents,” said Assoc. Prof. Yuen Poovarawan, Vice President for Information Management Technology, Kasetsart University. “According to the rules of the contest, each team with three members and one professor had to develop a program to address a specific problem. The accuracy and speed of the program were the main criteria in determining the winner. Winning teams from schools in Bangkok and other regions such as Phuket, Lampang and Nakorn Si Thammarat were able to meet the challenge,” he added. The ‘IOI2009’ team from Suankularb Wittayalai School, Bangkok received the 50,000 Baht first cash prize. Beyond Blue Sky team from Phuket Wittayalai School was the first runner-up and took the 30,000 Baht cash prize, while the second runner-up, ‘Look Chao Por’ team from Bunyawat Witthayalai Lampang School was awarded a 15,000 Baht cash prize. The winning team’s school was also awarded a HP ProLiant Server installed with the Open Source program, while the first runner-up and second runner-up teams’ schools were also awarded a HP PhotoSmart Printer, sponsored by HP. Mr Sanpat Sopon, Managing Director and General Manager of Technology Solutions Group, Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Ltd., said, “Not only did they receive substantial rewards, the contestants also gained experience, skills and benefits from the contest for their future careers. Currently, technology not only supports business — it empowers it. IT opportunities are considered business opportunities. Securing an adequate pool of high quality IT manpower is therefore of great importance for companies seeking to develop their businesses.” “HP, as one of the leading IT companies providing high performance computing is very pleased to support initiatives that benefits Thai students and society at large. The contest helped high-school students to have a better understanding of grid technology, and how to develop and utilize it. HP congratulates the winners and the organisers on the successful contest,” Mr Sanpat concluded. For more information, please log on to www.ku.ac.th/scc2008 or contact 02-562-0951-6 ext. 2551 2507 2508 and 2902. PR Agency contact: Hill & Knowlton Thailand Pensri Iem-Klai or Weeranuch Puttachartsaewee Hill & Knowlton Thailand Tel: 0 2627 3501 ext. 105 or 101 and Fax: 0 2627 3510 Email: [email protected]; [email protected],