RCCI is pleased to announce major enhancements to ICS-ACI that will triple the capacity of our high-performance research cloud and add new services within our first year of operations. While we are expanding our HPC capabilities dramatically, we are also reducing our energy usage, helping to meet the university’s environmental goals.
Demand for high-performance computing has grown rapidly, and we are scaling up rapidly to meet it. Key additions to ICS-ACI include new compute cores to augment the 6,000 cores purchased in the initial deployment, expanded storage, and a bulk storage service. We are excited about lower rates for our services through ACI Funds for Research.
The upgrade is scheduled to begin in September and continue throughout the fall semester. When all of the enhancements are complete, we will have over 23,000 cores and 20 PB of storage.
Below are some of the most exciting changes to our system:
Expanded Standard Compute and Active Storage
We are deploying 4992 new standard-memory cores across 208 Dell M630 servers, almost doubling the amount of standard-memory cores available to researchers. We are also integrating roughly 6 PB of storage using DDN 12KX40 and GS7K flash storage arrays. The new DDN storage system has lower latency and higher internal bandwidth than other storage solutions, speeding up data I/O. Data encryption will be available for users’ group spaces, helping you meet increasingly rigorous security regulations.
New Capability – Basic Compute Cores
In addition to the new standard-memory cores, we will be integrating 6912 basic-memory (128 GB RAM, Ethernet connectivity) cores into our compute offerings. These cores will allow researchers who do not require the capabilities of the standard- or high-memory cores to access the resources they need at a far lower price. With the addition of the basic compute cores, you will have more freedom to pick which level of compute power is right for you.
New Capability – GPU Computing
We are offering a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) accelerated compute environment, enabling you to perform parallel compute-intensive applications faster than ever before. Our GPU compute environment features Tesla K80 GPU Accelerators, dual intel PHI, and quad Nvidia GeForce components.
New Capability – Archival Storage
We are adding 12 PB of near-line storage for archival purposes using Oracle’s FS1 flash storage appliance and an SL8500 Tape Library. This storage will allow you to keep your data secure and accessible in the long term. Data encryption will be available for our archival storage.
Rapid Networking
Our new hardware will be connected with FDR InfiniBand low-latency interconnects, as well as an expanded Ethernet fabric boasting 10/40/100 GBe capabilities. Together, these networks will ensure that your data can be moved around our systems as quickly as possible.
If you would like to know more about the enhancements to ICS-ACI, or about the system in general, contact us at aci-info@ics.psu.edu