Delivering Innovation at Zero Carbon Cost

One of the best parts of my job is welcoming new customers to our data center campus in Iceland. Our most recently announced customer is pioneering the use of advanced virtual engineering technologies to make life more enjoyable and sustainable. Wirth Research was founded by Nick Wirth, a former Simtek Grand Prix owner and Benetton F1 chief designer, in 2003 and is an engineering, design technology and advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) consultancy.

The company is using advanced virtual engineering technologies to reduce the need for costly physical tests and the wasteful manufacture of prototypes. Using its expertise in energy-savings, Wirth Research uses high resolution CFD analyses to design and develop innovative airflow solutions for a wide variety of sectors and uses. They are able to make buildings better to live, work and shop in. Particularly important in the age of Covid, they are able to identify key airflow mechanisms inside a building that minimise the airborne transport of viruses. Outside, they model wind flow around a building design to address public safety concerns. The ‘wind tunnel effect’ caused by a concentration of high-rise buildings can generate fierce downdrafts, which can in-turn knock people off their feet and push cyclists into passing vehicles.

These CFD simulations require a huge number of calculations and a vast amount of computing power. The team at Wirth Research turned to Verne Global to help improve the speed, performance and reliability of their compute-intensive applications. At the same time, we’ve also been able to assist in increasing their workload efficiency and reduce their energy footprint. Our ability to harness  100% renewable hydro-electric and geothermal energy, aligned with Wirth’s commitment to sustainability and environmental issues.

The move had several key benefits for the company. Previously, Wirth Research’s headquarters were tethered to where it's CFD supercomputer was located, on a site with substantial energy costs and cooling requirements. Working remotely during the pandemic opened up the idea of untethering their compute from their office location. By moving its high performance compute to Verne Global, Wirth Research’s costs were reduced so significantly that the savings in energy usage easily justified an investment in upgraded hardware. 

At the same time, the company was also moving their headquarters to a newly developed eco building that enabled them to reduce their workplace carbon output to zero. The flexible workspace provides access to virtual workstations allowing team members more freedom in how they navigate back into the office environment post-pandemic. The workstations are powered from our campus in Iceland and it enables a more tailored computer experience for performance depending on each individual’s role. According to Wirth, this allows for a more efficient system so they do not use any more power or hardware than is required, and computing resources can be quickly and securely pulled from one project to another.  

We believe in turning positive energy into unreal results for our customers. Wirth Research is an excellent example of this. Their advanced engineering technologies are revolutionising industries, and we are thrilled to be a part of delivering that innovation at zero carbon cost. If you are interested in knowing more about how we can help your organisation, please contact me at nick@verneglobal.com.