Altair Engineering Unveils Breakthrough On-Demand Computing Business Model

Altair Engineering Unveils Breakthrough On-Demand Computing Business Model

May 30, 2007

New Software Strategy is First to Tackle Challenges of
Multi-Core Licensing, Enabling Broader Adoption of Grid,
Utility and On-Demand Computing


    TOKYO, May 30 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- GRIDWORLD --
Altair Engineering unveiled today its new software business
model to enable the first on-demand computing software
environment that tackles the challenges of multi-core
processor licensing. In response to industry changes,
Altair's innovative and patented software licensing model
for PBS Professional(TM) allows users to only pay for what
they use, thus powering a pure on-demand computing
environment.

    Over the past several years, designers of
microprocessors have begun building two or more processors
into a single package, introducing multi-core technology --
and a challenge to software companies worldwide. Software
vendors have continued to implement outdated and inflexible
licensing models, limiting customer value and the adoption
of grid and on-demand computing. In response to industry
and customer demands, Altair has developed its innovative
software licensing model that allows customers to enable
their entire enterprise infrastructure to be shared
globally while only paying for actual usage of software
licenses.

    This industry changing licensing model is released in
conjunction with PBS Professional 9.0, a workload
management software platform essential in powering grid and
on-demand computing environments. PBS is the most widely
implemented software environment for grid, on-demand and
cluster computing worldwide.

    "Multi-core technology like the forthcoming
Quad-Core AMD Opteron(TM) processor code-named 'Barcelona'
will deliver significant value to customers in the form of
superior performance-per-watt and virtualization
capabilities. But unfortunately some software vendors have
not yet optimized their applications for multi-core
processors and many struggle with how to license their
products," said David Rich, director, High Performance
Computing, AMD. "Altair's new licensing model allows
customers to immediately realize maximum value from their
AMD multi-core processors and plays a catalyst role in
moving the industry towards greater adoption of innovative
technologies like Grid-, utility- and on-demand-
computing."

    The PBS Professional licensing system enables a single
on-demand computing environment that includes the following
key benefits:

    1. Users only pay for what they use where customers can
enable
       their entire infrastructure but only pay for
concurrent usage
       of licenses;

    2. Flexible software licenses that can dynamically
float across
       enterprise computing resources, even geographically
separate
       systems to meet changing needs of users; 

    3. A single on-demand computing environment that
intelligently
       schedules applications onto multi-core based
infrastructures,
       maximizing return on computing capital investments;
and

    4. New simplified pricing offered at $13.50 per
concurrent
       license (North American pricing), or about one
quarter the
       cost of previous pricing, delivers significantly
greater value
       to customers. 

    "Altair is excited to serve as an industry leader
in providing customers what they have been demanding, and
in enabling a true on-demand computing environment,"
said Altair President and CEO James R. Scapa.  "This
is a preview to our vision of how PBS Professional will be
the key enabling technology for the future of on-demand
computing."

    Altair partners and resellers will benefit from the new
licensing model by being able to deliver greater application
value to their customers. PBS Professional 9.0 is available
immediately with the new licensing model. For more
information, visit http://www.altair.com/pbs9 .  

    About Altair Engineering

    Altair Engineering, Inc. powers on-demand computing and
innovation for customers worldwide. The company's products
and services strengthen client innovation and
decision-making through technology that optimizes the
analysis, management and visualization of business and
engineering information. Privately held with more than
1,200 employees, Altair has offices throughout North
America, South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific. With a
20-year-plus track record for product design, advanced
engineering software and on-demand computing technologies,
Altair consistently delivers a competitive advantage to
customers in a broad range of industries. To learn more,
please visit http://www.altair.com .



    For more information, please contact:

     Brad Rutledge
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Andrea Bingham
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]