HP will collaborate with SAP on research aimed at improving the efficiency of HP systems running SAP software.

What do "Shrek 2" and SAP have in common? A lot, according to Hewlett-Packard. The infrastructure hardware company announced Nov. 7 that it will collaborate with SAP on research aimed at improving the efficiency of HP systems running SAP software—or software components, as the case may be.

HP Labs developed technology to help DreamWorks, the studio that created the "Shrek" movies, scale its rendering capabilities by moving the necessary computing resources off-site to HP Labs. Rendering for "Shrek 2"—the process that converts animators' computer-generated wire models into finished frames by adding details like color, light and texture—required a data center with 500 HP servers connected to the DreamWorks studio.

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By putting the computing resources off-site and optimizing use, DreamWorks was able to draw on computing resources during crunch time and shutter the systems during off times.

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The same concepts apply to SAP and enterprise software, according to John Manley, director of utility computing at HP Labs, in Bristol, England.

Read the full story on eWEEK.com: HP, SAP Ink Deal to Better Optimize Apps on Hardware

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