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Last month at SC06, SiCortex, Inc. introduced its family of ultra low power high performance Linux systems, based on MIPS processor technology. Selected as one of five "HPC Companies to Watch in 2007" by HPCwire, SiCortex has developed a unique system architecture that it says represents a "sea change in cluster computing." In this Q&A, the company's co-founders, John Mucci (CEO) and Jud Leonard (CTO), talk about the novel design of the SiCortex systems, how the design overcomes the limitations of conventional clusters, and how their offerings will fit into the HPC market.

SiCortex has bucked one of the more disturbing supercomputing trends - the disconnect between form and function. The Massachusetts server start-up last week unveiled a system that would moisten the eyes of both Seymour Cray and John De Lorean. Its SC5832 crams 5,832 processor cores into a "Pimp My Cluster" chassis with lighted cabinet doors that rise like wings. The elegant SiCortex box stood out with ease among the mishmash of "industry standard" cluster jobbies at the Supercomputing '06 conference.

SiCortex, a developer of high-performance computers, introduced two new Linux-based machines Wednesday that the company claims save money on power, run cooler, and are more efficient than the roll-your-own cluster of PCs that is now the state-of-the-art in high-performance computing.

Supercomputers create super heat. One startup says that by designing its own processors its cluster computers can beat the overheating problem.

Every good startup tries to practice a little technological jujitsu. By applying a bit of force in just the right place, a handful of people can knock a large and fast-moving industry sector slightly off balance and open up a new and significant opportunity. That's just what SiCortex Inc. (Maynard, Mass.) is attempting to do in the hot area of clustered servers for high-performance computing (HPC).