With the Software-as-a-Service model providers can make the software available for customers via the internet. This is a significant departure from on-premises maintenances as it frees up time spent on complex software and hardware management. As a result, you are always on the receiving end of the latest software through just your internet browser. A key factor in hosting a SaaS platform like ColdStream, is making computational resources available for customers to use as they see fit. This is done using HPC credits.

What are HPC credits?

We introduced the concept HPC credits so that you can easily control your computational resources. Every HPC credit represents a part of our supercomputer that we reserve for you.

The more credits you use for your calculations, the faster they will finish. Once your calculations are finished your credits will return in your wallet and can be assigned for your next calculation. In this way you have the full control over your resources. Use them for one case to have very fast results or distribute your resources to run multiples cases in parallel. A good planning of your credit distribution will help you get the most out of every credit.

How to manage your resources?

ColdStream contains several features and dashboards that make it easy for you to get an overview of your credit usage.

To better manage these resources it is important to understand the different case types on ColdStream and how many credits to assign.

Case Types on ColdStream

ColdStream can handle different cases. There are three main layers on ColdStream. This is reflected from the type of subscription you have as well.

• ‍Simulation: This refers to a CFD analysis. This is the main feature of the Thermal analysis package. Simulations enable the users to understand the thermal performance of their designs. Built upon OpenFOAM libraries, the ColdStream proprietary CFD engine provides users with accurate results.
• Standard design:  With this case type, you can find the optimal standard heatsink. ColdStream combines generative design with standard shapes like pins and fins to find the best heatsink for the given application. It allows users to explore the best choice for shape, material, and manufacturing.
• Custom design: With custom design, ColdStream pushes the boundaries of thermal designs beyond human imagination. This is a thermal and flow optimization driven by AI. Generative design through topology optimization is extremely adaptable and any changes to the operating conditions can result in completely different but optimal designs.

Assigning credits

When a case is ready to be submitted, after validation a credit slider pops up which allows the user to assign credits for the case. By assigning a larger number of credits the time taken to complete reduces, and vice versa. The following table shows the minimum number of credits required to submit a certain case type at different resolution levels.

As mentioned, these credits can be either used all together on the same project, or you can run multiple projects in parallel. For example, if you have 115 credits at your disposal you can run a detailed design for 100 credits and use the remaining 15 credits to run a conceptual simulation at the same time. The credits will be returned to you once the simulation or design run finishes.

Should you have expended all your credits in a month with a high workload and still needto run an extra design you can always request additional credits for a time ofyour choosing.

Hopefully this explanation helped you in better understanding the way the credit system works and how to get the most out of your computational resources. Should you still have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to us.

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