Building highly reliable high-performance computing systems through implementation of an end to end reliability strategy

The required reliability of a system depends on its intended market. Consumer electronics have a high tolerance for faults, IBM Enterprise Systems have a near zero fault requirement, while servers and data centers have a fault tolerance in between the Enterprise and Consumer markets. To manufacture high performance computing systems that are highly reliable, IBM uses an end to end strategy which includes Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability (RAS). Reliability must be built into the system at all levels, from the transistor to the circuit to the complete system. This talk will explore aspects of IBM’s RAS strategy including technology qualification, wafer screening, module screening, and the tradeoffs between performance, reliability, and cost.