Volvo Cars has finally decided to tread the open-source path. The Swedish automobile manufacturer has signed a deal with IBM, whereby, the latter will provide it with a new Linux-based cluster of Intellistation workstation computers that will enable it to virtualise its design processes. The new solution will enable Volvo Cars to switch the majority of its product development systems from physical testing procedures to computer-based simulations that will, in turn, reduce operation costs.

The Linux cluster is an addition to the company's existing UNIX environment and is already delivering around twice the performance for CFD (computational flow dynamics) simulations. 'We're delighted that Linux is being used for commercial productions and not just for pilots and training,' commented Torbjörn Johansson, CTO, IBM Sweden.

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