Ansys on Azure: Mastering Cloud Bursting for Massive HPC Scalability

Learn how to scale Ansys simulations using Microsoft Azure HPC. Comprehensive guide to Cloud Bursting, cost optimization, and solver parallelization.

Breaking the 1,000-core barrier for complex CFD and Structural analysis.

STRATEGY | INFRASTRUCTURE | COST CONTROL

The primary bottleneck in modern R&D is no longer the engineer's talent, but the available Compute Cycles. Traditional on-premise clusters are rigid; they are either underutilized or overloaded. Ansys Cloud Direct on Microsoft Azure provides the "Cloud Bursting" capability required to handle peak simulation demands without investing in physical hardware.

1. The Architecture of Cloud Bursting

A frequent query from IT Managers is: "How do we integrate Ansys Workbench with Azure HBv3 instances?" The solution lies in the Ansys Gateway. This allow engineers to launch virtual machines directly from their local interface, utilizing AMD EPYC™ processors and InfiniBand networking for low-latency MPI communication.

10xFaster Time-to-Market

0$Upfront Capex Cost

99.9%Resource Availability

2. Solver Parallelization: Fluent & Mechanical

Scaling isn't linear. For Ansys Fluent, the partitioning of the mesh across hundreds of cores requires high-speed interconnects. On Azure, using SR-IOV enabled instances ensures that the "communication overhead" doesn't kill the speedup gained from adding more cores.

// Recommended Azure VM Series for Ansys:
- HBv3 (CFD / Memory Bandwidth intensive)
- HC (Explicit Dynamics / Compute intensive)
- NVv4 (VDI / Remote Desktop visualization)

3. Cost Management: Spot Instances vs. Reserved

One of the "missing" topics in CAE guides is cost optimization. For non-critical, long-running simulations, using Azure Spot Instances can save up to 80% on compute costs. However, you must ensure that your Ansys solver is configured for Checkpoint/Restart to prevent data loss during an instance preemption.

IT Compliance Note: Ansys on Azure meets SOC, ISO, and HIPAA standards, ensuring that sensitive aerospace and medical CAD data remains encrypted both at rest and in transit.