Press Releases

Repsol YPF Chooses CyrusOne to Support Advanced Supercomputer for Subsurface Imaging Applications

November 11, 2008

To achieve optimal business continuity and ensure robust performance and future-proof reliability, Repsol YPF (NYSE: REP), a globally-integrated energy company based in Spain with extensive operations in Latin America, has selected CyrusOne, a leading colocated data services provider, to host and support its groundbreaking Kaleidoscope Project system architecture. This architecture is designed with Repsol’s Kaleidoscope Supercomputer at its core – an IBM-powered, ultra high-performance computing platform with far-reaching capabilities for energy exploration.

Opting to colocate rather than retrofit or build a new data center, Repsol recently completed installation of its 120-teraflop Kaleidoscope Supercomputer within CyrusOne’s ultra high-density data center in Houston. This center is designed for highest-density, mission-critical, 100 percent uptime performance, underpinning CyrusOne’s ability to provide Repsol with an intrinsically-scalable architecture that incorporates maximum redundancy protocols and highly efficient “green” power usage.

This installation directly supports Repsol’s production environment for processing Reverse Time Migration (RTM) seismic imaging algorithms generated by Kaleidoscope. RTM technology leverages highly advanced subsurface imaging capabilities, delivering unparalleled precision and enabling Repsol and its partners to search for oil fields at greater depths, up to ten times faster than conventional technology currently being used in the industry. Kaleidoscope makes this possible because of its pioneering computing design. This unique supercomputer is powered by 600 IBM PowerXCell™ 8i processors distributed in eight standard hardware cabinets that occupy a mere 22 square feet of floor space, a huge reduction in hardware scale considering that Kaleidoscope delivers computing power equivalent to the combined efforts of over 10,000 best-in-class CPUs. Operating at 750 watts per square foot, Kaleidoscope’s power efficiency is measured at 0.9 gigaflops-per-watt. These are capabilities that only a select few colocation providers are equipped to meet.

The design and intrinsic efficiency of Kaleidoscope’s ultra high-density core decreases the amount of required hardware square footage by more than 80 percent, but the challenge, as CyrusOne senior vice president Blake McLane notes, is locating a top-tier colocation provider that can meet power and cooling infrastructure requirements at 750 watts per square foot. By successfully consolidating Kaleidoscope’s high-powered system architecture into a relatively small footprint, Repsol was able to achieve its goal of a green, environmentally-conscious installation.

“At 750 watts per square foot, high-density colocation proved to be the optimal solution for Repsol from a technical, practical and economical point of view,” McLane said. “In the short term, the evolution of the PowerXCell 8i processor will increase by four times the computing power within the same footprint. This additional power, however, requires a robust data center infrastructure that can support maximum power and cooling. We recognize this installation as the start of a trend of ultra-dense green supercomputers that will lead to affordable peta-scale capacity in the near future.”

Kaleidoscope technology reveals new opportunities in seismic exploration Kaleidoscope is the frontrunner of an emerging class of seismic technology that will enable Repsol to locate oil reserves buried thousands of feet below the seabed. Discovering these reserves could yield billions of barrels of oil and natural gas. These oil reserves are, however, difficult to find and reach due to the extreme depths of the “ultradeep water” zone, as it is known in the oil industry, as well as thick layers of salt that impede the visualization of oil-bearing sands underneath using conventional seismic imaging technology. Ultradeep water represents the most challenging frontier in petroleum exploration, and the Kaleidoscope Project’s technological advances in earth imaging provide an opportunity to penetrate that frontier, yielding strong competitive advantages.

“The Kaleidoscope Project redefines subsurface imaging capabilities, moving from a standard of approximations and best-guesses due to lack of computing power to one of precise algorithms designed for a new generation of processors. This opens up new commercial opportunities in hard-to-reach subsurface regions around the world,” said Francisco Ortigosa, Repsol’s chief geophysicist and project leader. “To meet the Kaleidoscope Supercomputer’s ultra-dense requirements and guarantee optimal installation and future-proof performance, we needed a colocation solution that delivered superior high-density capabilities across the board.”

For additional information about the Kaleidoscope Project, please visit www.kaleidoscopeproject.info.

About Repsol YPF
Repsol is an integrated international oil and gas company, operating in more than 30 countries and is the leader in Spain and Argentina. It is one of the ten major private oil companies in the world and the largest private energy company in Latin America in terms of assets. From exploration and production to marketing, Repsol is present in all stages of the business. With an oil and gas production of over 1.1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day and a refining capacity that surpasses 1.2 million barrels per day, the company operates nine refineries, and is the leader in Spain, Argentina, and Peru.Repsol sells its oil products through a wide network of 6,800 sales outlets spread over Europe and Latin America. In chemicals, Repsol is the top-ranking producer of petrochemical products in Spain and Portugal. In the liquefied petroleum gas business (LPG), it is the third largest company in the world and one of the most efficient operators. Repsol also distributes natural gas, directly or via its affiliates, to over 9 million customers in Spain and Latin America. For more information, visit www.repsolypf.com.

About CyrusOne
CyrusOne is a leader in high availability, high density data center services, providing colocation and implementation services for customers in the healthcare, energy and financial industries. We help businesses optimize returns on technology investments while ensuring application availability, data security and superior IT performance. CyrusOne was recently acquired by ABRY Partners, a Boston-based private equity investment firm with $18 billion of leveraged transactions and other private equity and mezzanine investments, representing investments in more than 450 media and communications properties. For more information, visit www.cyrusone.com or call 1-866-297-8766.

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Media Contact:
Nicole Aguillard
CyrusOne
713.235.8707
naguillard@cyrusone.com