Intel and Lenovo today announced a multiyear collaboration focused on the growing opportunity in the convergence of high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) to help accelerate solutions for challenging problems.

Lenovo, the leading global system provider of TOP500 supercomputers will be optimizing Intel’s full portfolio of HPC and AI hardware and software solutions to serve as the foundation for its market strategy. Working together, the companies aim to accelerate the convergence of HPC and AI to unlock new levels of customer insight. The combination of 2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable platform and Lenovo Neptune liquid cooling technology has already produced remarkable results from joint engineering and utilizing a combination of HPC IP from the two companies. Today, 173 of the world’s TOP500 fastest supercomputers, spanning 19 markets run on Lenovo servers. Additionally, 17 of the world’s top 25 research universities rely on Lenovo infrastructure.

The collaboration brings together Lenovo’s portfolio, including Lenovo TruScale Infrastructure, and Intel’s technologies, including Intel Xe computing architecture; Intel Optane DC persistent memory; Intel oneAPI programming framework; and both current and future generations of Intel Xeon Scalable processors, the only CPUs with the built-in AI acceleration of Intel Deep Learning Boost.

A key focus area will also be building out Lenovo’s smarter software offerings, including optimizing Lenovo’s LiCO HPC/AI software stack for Intel’s next-generation technologies, and alignment with the Intel oneAPI programming framework. Additionally, the collaboration will work to enable DAOS advanced storage frameworks and other exascale-class software optimizations, targeted at helping HPC and AI users run their applications with greater ease than before.

Additionally, Intel and Lenovo plan to partner to help create the new ecosystem for the convergence of HPC and AI. This includes building joint “HPC & AI centers of excellence” around the world to further enable research and university centers to develop solutions that address pervasive world challenges, including genomics, cancer, weather and climate, space exploration and more.