TotalEnergies plans to deploy a new high-performance supercomputer, developed with US-based tech companies Dell Technologies and NVIDIA, to increase the oil and gas company’s computing capacity sixfold.
Announced on 6 May, the €100-million ($117.5 million) Pangea 5 system is scheduled for commissioning next year.
The platform is intended to expand the company’s advanced seismic processing capabilities, with the goal of improving subsurface imaging accuracy and shortening exploration timelines.
The French supermajor said the system will also support research and development initiatives focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and improve modeling of complex systems, including integrated power networks.
“[AI] and digital technology are strategic drivers of our energy transition,” Namita Shah, president of TotalEnegies’ OneTech business unit, said in a statement. “By increasing our computing power sixfold, we are strengthening our leadership in high-performance computing ensuring that our expert teams continue to have the means to push the envelope to support the development of our activities and meet the growing global demand for energy.”
Pangea 5 is also billed as a lower-carbon computing platform. It will rely on new processors that are optimized for massively parallel workloads, which the company said deliver higher energy efficiency than earlier systems. At equivalent computing performance, Pangea 5 is expected to reduce energy consumption by 40% relative to prior versions. Its cooling systems are also designed to cut associated energy use by a factor of five.
Residual heat generated by the system will be captured and reused to help heat buildings at the Jean Féger Scientific and Technical Center in Pau, France, where approximately 2,500 people work.