Much of the University’s research depends on simulation, modelling, problem-solving, and experimentation, all of which generate data – often in massive amounts. To effectively generate, process, and analyse this research data, we need substantial computational power typically provided by HPC services. Therefore, it is crucial for the University’s HPC services to keep pace with technological advancements to meet the increasing computational demands of the University’s researchers. With over 1,000 active users and counting, the University’s flagship on-premise HPC service, the Computational Shared Facility (CSF), is undergoing significant improvements.
Research IT, who develop and manage the CSF, are collaborating closely with the Research Lifecycle Programme and other parties to enhance and expand the CSF. Work on the CSF4 was completed during the summer, introducing additional computational resource and an upgraded operating system. Work on the CSF3 is already well under way, over the course of two phases the oldest hardware will be removed and replaced with 61 new AMD nodes. As well as offering an increase in capacity and computational performance the new AMD nodes are considerably more energy efficient helping to minimise the environmental impact of High Performance Computing at the University.
CSF4
- Adding 2160 cores, providing an increase in CPU resources of 22%.
- Operating system (OS) upgrade - this will
- extend the life of the service
- improve security
- Access to the latest system libraries allowing the latest applications to be installed.
CSF3
- Replacing the oldest of the hardware (8,700 cores) with 61 new AMD nodes (10,248 cores)
- New compute nodes will be deployed in two phases, work scheduled to complete October 2024
- Each new compute comprises 168 AMD Genoa cores with 8GB of RAM per core.
- Jobs up to 168 cores will be permitted on the new nodes
The improvements to CSF will empower researchers to push the boundaries of their work, leading to new discoveries and innovations. Read more about how the change will benefit researchers.
- Increased Computational Power: The enhancements to the CSF3 and CSF4 services will provide researchers with significant gains in computational performance, and increased capacity enabling them to handle larger datasets and more complex simulations and models.
- Improved Efficiency: With upgraded hardware and increased capacity, researchers can expect quicker job run times, meaning they can complete their work more quickly and efficiently.
- Future-Proofing: By keeping pace with technological advancements, the University ensures that its researchers have access to the latest tools and technologies, which is crucial for staying competitive in the global research landscape.
- Scalability: The upgrades will allow the CSF to accommodate the growing number of users and the increasing computational demands of the University’s research portfolio, ensuring that resources are available when needed.
The upgrade has been jointly funded by the Research Lifecycle Programme and the University Researchers, it highlights the University’s investment in its research facilities and signals its commitments to global impact and sustainability.
Contact Research IT if you want to have a chat about accessing the resource.