Company Success Stories - Super Computer, Inc.
With the Sizzling Speed of the AMD Opteron™ and AMD Athlon™ 64 FX Processors, Super Computer, Inc. Opens A World of Possibilities for Gamers
Profile
Super Computer, Inc.
http://www.supercomputerinc.com
23rd September 2003
"World’s Leading Online Gaming Computer Company Gets a Boost from World’s Highest Performing PC Processor - Jesper Jensen, president"
Jesper Jensen lives and breathes online gaming. But, unlike the growing legions of online gamers, Jensen’s interest is more than a hobby. He is the president of a company that hosts game servers and technology on the one of the world’s fastest online gaming computer. For Jensen, the competition is very real.
As leader of Atlanta-based Super Computer, Inc. (SCI), Jensen has a vested interest in the equipment his customers are using now to slay forces of evil, climb Mt. Everest or make it through basic training.
“Gamers expect nothing but the best,” he said. “Whoever is providing the most powerful solution is where gamers go. We’re the power behind the games.”
SCI brought high performance into the gaming world in 2001 with the introduction of its Jupiter Cluster – one of the fastest gaming cluster in the world – to host high-end games. Though SCI is the hosting engine, gamers have complete control over game setup and experience. The company is using AMD Opteron™ processors to run the world’s first gaming cluster that can support both 32- and 64-bit game titles simultaneously.
“One factor of what’s important in the next natural evolution for gaming is to run in 64-bit,” says Jensen. “AMD64 technology has enabled us to reach more customers and offer more variety to gamers. The 64-bit technology can do more for us than just giving more bang for the buck – it simply gives us and our users better performance.”
On the front lines with the U.S. Army
And for competitive gamers, performance is paramount, especially when the game is more than just a game – it’s an adventure. Since May 2003, SCI has partnered with the U.S. Army, creator of the popular online game, “America’s Army: Operations.” SCI hosts the America’s Army engine on its clusters and high-end hosting platform. According to Jensen, the U.S. Army simply demands the best.
“The Army wants to be associated with the latest and greatest technology, and they want their end users to see what it’s like for themselves,” says Jensen. “The game definitely depicts what it takes to be a soldier, and the fact that it’s also a realistic simulator is very exciting for users.”
The America’s Army game is as close to being in the Army as you can get without actually enlisting. Gamers go through basic training at virtual Army bases (since you can’t advance – in the game or in the Army – unless you pass training), train to be a soldier, and then head out on missions.
The need for performance – and the AMD Athlon™ 64 FX processor
Besides their own cunning skills, performance is what competitive gamers love to brag about. These power users rely on the latest technology to power the monster machines on which they compete. Many believe the 32-bit technology simply can’t compete with the intricacy of today’s games – and the skills of today’s gamers.
“The transition to 64-bit technology is a natural evolution,” says Jensen. “Games are so complicated and use so many resources to make them realistic, 64-bit technology could become a necessity. We’ve got to have solutions that encompass future competitive gaming.”
The collaboration between AMD and SCI was a natural progression. AMD has long been attuned to the needs of the online gaming market, while SCI is a leader in high-end gaming servers.
“Once AMD is behind a project, they go full speed,” says Jensen. “When you are working with a new technology, like our product, it’s tough to find the right people and bring them up to speed. AMD understood what we needed and worked with us to get it done.”
Jensen says the AMD Athlon 64 FX processor provides scorching performance and stability – and that’s huge for mainstream computing of any kind.
“These are high-end machines, and gaming pushes that technology,” he says. “Gaming used to be about outsmarting your computer – now it’s about beating an actual opponent, and the more real that interaction, the better.”
Gaming for the future
According to Jensen, the AMD Athlon 64 FX processor will have a huge impact on the world of online gaming. And with an estimated 114 million online gamers expected by 2006, it’s a significant impact for SCI.
“We’re positioning ourselves as one of the only enterprise-class operations delivering game services and game technology,” he says. “We’ve put ourselves in the eye of the storm, and it’s important to work with a household name like AMD. Going to 64-bit will become part of everyone’s life on the desktop.”
© 2003 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved.
AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Athlon, AMD Opteron, and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other product and company names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies.
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