Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 is Done and Ready

Microsoft is ready to take on Linux with this.

Microsoft has a new operating system. Today during the keynote address at the High Performance Computing Financial Markets Conference, Microsoft announced the immediate availability of Windows HPC Server 2008 R2, its specialized operating system for supercomputers.

“This release of Windows HPC server is a key step in our long-term goal to make the power of technical computing accessible to a broader set of customers, with capabilities across the desktop, servers and the cloud,” said Bill Hilf, general manager, Microsoft Technical Computing Group. “Customers in all industries can use Windows HPC Server as a foundation for building and running simulations that model the world around us, speeding discovery and helping to make better decisions.”

Windows HPC Server clusters to run a wide variety of mission-critical applications, from simulating financial markets to fighting disease to building next-generation vehicles.

While Linux rules the server market that Windows HPC Server is in, Microsoft cites benchmarks that shows that its own OS's performance equals that of Linux. Furthermore, Microsoft claims that Windows HPC Server is 32 percent to 51 percent less expensive than Linux-based HPC systems over five years.

AMD was quick out the gate with a blog post talking about how great its Opterons work with Windows HPC Server 2008 R2.