EPCC Tier 2 HPC Service
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre
Abstract
EPCC is the supercomputer centre at the University of Edinburgh. Throughout our 26-year history, EPCC has significant experience of running supercomputer services for both academic and industrial researchers. We currently run the UK's national supercomputer, ARCHER, that is used for modelling new materials, designing more efficient engines and investigating climate change.
This proposal is to enhance an existing supercomputer with additional compute nodes, and to add a significant amount of next generation accelerators. The design of supercomputers is going through a period of change and accelerators are becoming increasingly important to provide faster supercomputers while using less electricity. This enhanced system will be useful for researchers across the UK to prepare their computer programmes to make effective use of future national supercomputer systems after ARCHER.
As computers become more powerful, they generate ever-increasing amounts of data. Managing and analysing this data is very important to help researchers make new scientific discoveries. This proposal also includes increasing the size of the large data storage facility at EPCC. This will allow researchers to store their data, share it with other people, move it between different supercomputers, and make new discoveries that will improve society and people's lives.
There will be a number of these medium-size supercomputers funded alongside the existing national supercomputer, ARCHER. These will have different features and so will be useful for different research problems. It is important that these supercomputers work together to provide maximum benefits for everyone. We will work with all the other successful proposals to provide a coherent service across all the different supercomputers. Most of the time on our supercomputer will be freely available for researchers from throughout the UK. We will work together with the other successful proposals to ensure that researchers can get access to the most appropriate system/ In addition, we have developed a we.-based portal that makes it easier for users to access the different systems. As part of our proposal, we will work with all the other successful proposals so that they can use our web-based portal completely free of cost.
This proposal is to enhance an existing supercomputer with additional compute nodes, and to add a significant amount of next generation accelerators. The design of supercomputers is going through a period of change and accelerators are becoming increasingly important to provide faster supercomputers while using less electricity. This enhanced system will be useful for researchers across the UK to prepare their computer programmes to make effective use of future national supercomputer systems after ARCHER.
As computers become more powerful, they generate ever-increasing amounts of data. Managing and analysing this data is very important to help researchers make new scientific discoveries. This proposal also includes increasing the size of the large data storage facility at EPCC. This will allow researchers to store their data, share it with other people, move it between different supercomputers, and make new discoveries that will improve society and people's lives.
There will be a number of these medium-size supercomputers funded alongside the existing national supercomputer, ARCHER. These will have different features and so will be useful for different research problems. It is important that these supercomputers work together to provide maximum benefits for everyone. We will work with all the other successful proposals to provide a coherent service across all the different supercomputers. Most of the time on our supercomputer will be freely available for researchers from throughout the UK. We will work together with the other successful proposals to ensure that researchers can get access to the most appropriate system/ In addition, we have developed a we.-based portal that makes it easier for users to access the different systems. As part of our proposal, we will work with all the other successful proposals so that they can use our web-based portal completely free of cost.
Planned Impact
The EPCC National Tier 2 Integration and HPC Accelerator Service will deliver strong scientific and industrial impact now and in the future in three specific areas:
1. Through support via SAFE for the creation of a national network of Tier 2 centres;
2. By preparing key codes from the UK scientific software base for use on Intel Xeon Phi accelerators on the road to the Exascale by the mid-2020s; and
3. Delivering an enhanced EPCC industry service to companies around the UK, Europe and beyond.
SAFE
EPCC has run national services for EPSRC since the Cray T3D in 1994. Our SAFE software has developed over the past 20 years from simple scripts to the comprehensive web-based system we use today. Although most UK users know SAFE from the point of view of account and resource management, there is also significant value in its helpdesk and reporting functionality.
By deploying SAFE across the Tier 2 network we hope to amplify the value of this funding, demonstrating the impact a joined-up Tier 2 service will have on EPSRC's scientific community and the wider UK scientific and industrial communities.
SCIENCE
Although Exascale computers are 6-8 years away, the technologies that are likely to be used in them are becoming clearer. There will be an increase in the use of accelerators, a greater focus on heterogeneity, more complex memory hierarchies, and new models of I/O. The HPC Accelerator Service that will be provided by this funding will allow EPCC to work with the EPSRC scientific community to prepare their scientific software codes and simulation techniques for the very high core counts and complex memory hierarchies expected to dominate in the future. By starting this work now, the impact of future national services, such as ARCHER 2, will be maximised.
Additionally, the funding will support the creation of a Tier 2 RDF service. Here we will work with the other Tier 2 centres and their user base to explore the value of different high level data services such that the future impact of investment in EPSRC's RDF can be maximised.
INDUSTRY
Since 1990 when EPCC was created, we have had a strong focus on working with industry. Not only is such work a key part of our business model, it is also a key part of our mission - "to accelerate the effective uptake of HPC and novel computing by industry, academia and commerce". Our value proposition delivers competitive advantage in the form of lower costs, improved products and services, and accelerated time to market for our industrial customers in segments such as engineering, energy, oil and gas, renewables, manufacturing and materials, life sciences, aerospace and automotive, and financial services.
Our successful and sustainable business model has been instrumental in allowing us to invest in HPC resources for industry. In 2012, EPCC, at its own expense, bought the INDY system that it has used, along with ARCHER, to deliver cycle-sales to industry over the past 4 years. In April 2016, this system was replaced by INDY 2, a state of the art SGI ICE XA system dedicated to industrial use. It is this system we intend to expand with this funding, further encouraging industrial collaboration and our long-term sustainability.
1. Through support via SAFE for the creation of a national network of Tier 2 centres;
2. By preparing key codes from the UK scientific software base for use on Intel Xeon Phi accelerators on the road to the Exascale by the mid-2020s; and
3. Delivering an enhanced EPCC industry service to companies around the UK, Europe and beyond.
SAFE
EPCC has run national services for EPSRC since the Cray T3D in 1994. Our SAFE software has developed over the past 20 years from simple scripts to the comprehensive web-based system we use today. Although most UK users know SAFE from the point of view of account and resource management, there is also significant value in its helpdesk and reporting functionality.
By deploying SAFE across the Tier 2 network we hope to amplify the value of this funding, demonstrating the impact a joined-up Tier 2 service will have on EPSRC's scientific community and the wider UK scientific and industrial communities.
SCIENCE
Although Exascale computers are 6-8 years away, the technologies that are likely to be used in them are becoming clearer. There will be an increase in the use of accelerators, a greater focus on heterogeneity, more complex memory hierarchies, and new models of I/O. The HPC Accelerator Service that will be provided by this funding will allow EPCC to work with the EPSRC scientific community to prepare their scientific software codes and simulation techniques for the very high core counts and complex memory hierarchies expected to dominate in the future. By starting this work now, the impact of future national services, such as ARCHER 2, will be maximised.
Additionally, the funding will support the creation of a Tier 2 RDF service. Here we will work with the other Tier 2 centres and their user base to explore the value of different high level data services such that the future impact of investment in EPSRC's RDF can be maximised.
INDUSTRY
Since 1990 when EPCC was created, we have had a strong focus on working with industry. Not only is such work a key part of our business model, it is also a key part of our mission - "to accelerate the effective uptake of HPC and novel computing by industry, academia and commerce". Our value proposition delivers competitive advantage in the form of lower costs, improved products and services, and accelerated time to market for our industrial customers in segments such as engineering, energy, oil and gas, renewables, manufacturing and materials, life sciences, aerospace and automotive, and financial services.
Our successful and sustainable business model has been instrumental in allowing us to invest in HPC resources for industry. In 2012, EPCC, at its own expense, bought the INDY system that it has used, along with ARCHER, to deliver cycle-sales to industry over the past 4 years. In April 2016, this system was replaced by INDY 2, a state of the art SGI ICE XA system dedicated to industrial use. It is this system we intend to expand with this funding, further encouraging industrial collaboration and our long-term sustainability.
Organisations
Publications
Busse A.
(2022)
THE STRUCTURE OF TURBULENT CHANNEL FLOW OVER RATCHET-TYPE ROUGHNESS
in 12th International Symposium on Turbulence and Shear Flow Phenomena, TSFP 2022
Cai Q
(2021)
Isotope effect on the thermal expansion coefficient of atomically thin boron nitride
in 2D Materials
Seeyangnok J
(2024)
Superconductivity and electron self-energy in tungsten-sulfur-hydride monolayer
in 2D Materials
Vitale V
(2021)
Flat band properties of twisted transition metal dichalcogenide homo- and heterobilayers of MoS 2 , MoSe 2 , WS 2 and WSe 2
in 2D Materials
Zhang T.
(2022)
High-fidelity numerical investigation of complex propeller flows
in 78th Vertical Flight Society Annual Forum and Technology Display, FORUM 2022
Hadade I
(2020)
Software Prefetching for Unstructured Mesh Applications
in ACM Transactions on Parallel Computing
Nugent J
(2019)
A General Route to Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes through Photoredox Catalysis
in ACS Catalysis
Aiello CD
(2022)
A Chirality-Based Quantum Leap.
in ACS nano
Wang QH
(2022)
The Magnetic Genome of Two-Dimensional van der Waals Materials.
in ACS nano
Zheng W
(2022)
Thickness- and Twist-Angle-Dependent Interlayer Excitons in Metal Monochalcogenide Heterostructures
in ACS Nano
Moon A
(2024)
Writing and Detecting Topological Charges in Exfoliated Fe5-xGeTe2.
in ACS nano
Falin A
(2021)
Mechanical Properties of Atomically Thin Tungsten Dichalcogenides: WS2, WSe2, and WTe2.
in ACS nano
Casas BW
(2023)
Coexistence of Merons with Skyrmions in the Centrosymmetric Van Der Waals Ferromagnet Fe5- x GeTe2.
in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
Wahab DA
(2021)
Quantum Rescaling, Domain Metastability, and Hybrid Domain-Walls in 2D CrI3 Magnets.
in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
Zhang X
(2024)
Epitaxial Growth of Large-Scale 2D CrTe2 Films on Amorphous Silicon Wafers With Low Thermal Budget.
in Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
Higgins R
(2021)
A computational fluid dynamic acoustic investigation of a tiltwing eVTOL concept aircraft
in Aerospace Science and Technology
Jones B
(2023)
A geometric sensitivity study for the aerodynamics of a strut-braced airframe
in Aerospace Science and Technology
Higgins R
(2022)
Investigation of a four-bladed propeller inflow at yaw
in Aerospace Science and Technology
Taitler A
(2024)
The 2023 International Planning Competition
in AI Magazine
Smith D
(2022)
Noise Source Analysis in Counter-Rotating Open Rotors
in AIAA Journal
Smith D
(2020)
Acoustic Analysis of Counter-Rotating Open Rotors with a Locked Blade Row
in AIAA Journal
Young T
(2020)
autodE: Automated Calculation of Reaction Energy Profiles- Application to Organic and Organometallic Reactions
in Angewandte Chemie
Livesley S
(2021)
Electrophilic Activation of [1.1.1]Propellane for the Synthesis of Nitrogen-Substituted Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes
in Angewandte Chemie
Collins C
(2021)
Discovery of a Low Thermal Conductivity Oxide Guided by Probe Structure Prediction and Machine Learning
in Angewandte Chemie
Livesley S
(2022)
Electrophilic Activation of [1.1.1]Propellane for the Synthesis of Nitrogen-Substituted Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Bismuto A
(2020)
Characterization of the Zwitterionic Intermediate in 1,1-Carboboration of Alkynes.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Collins CM
(2021)
Discovery of a Low Thermal Conductivity Oxide Guided by Probe Structure Prediction and Machine Learning.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Young TA
(2021)
autodE: Automated Calculation of Reaction Energy Profiles- Application to Organic and Organometallic Reactions.
in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)
Boyd T
(2020)
A Structurally Characterized Cobalt(I) s-Alkane Complex
in Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Costil R
(2020)
Atropisomerism in Diarylamines: Structural Requirements and Mechanisms of Conformational Interconversion
in Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Wang Q
(2021)
Multi-Scale Aggregated-Dilation Network for ex-vivo Lung Cancer Detection with Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Endomicroscopy.
in Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference
Abdul-Wahab D
(2021)
Domain wall dynamics in two-dimensional van der Waals ferromagnets
in Applied Physics Reviews
Macy J
(2021)
Magnetic field-induced non-trivial electronic topology in Fe3- x GeTe2
in Applied Physics Reviews
Spracklen P
(2023)
Automated streamliner portfolios for constraint satisfaction problems
in Artificial Intelligence
Wang Y
(2023)
Multi-task learning framework to predict the status of central venous catheter based on radiographs.
in Artificial intelligence in medicine
Agarwal P
(2024)
Evaluation of WRF-Chem-simulated meteorology and aerosols over northern India during the severe pollution episode of 2016
in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Aggarwal A
(2019)
Effect of Residual and Transformation Choice on Computational Aspects of Biomechanical Parameter Estimation of Soft Tissues.
in Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)
Kim CS
(2019)
In silico error correction improves cfDNA mutation calling.
in Bioinformatics (Oxford, England)
Luo Y
(2022)
Thrust and torque production of a squid-inspired swimmer with a bent nozzle for thrust vectoring.
in Bioinspiration & biomimetics
Luo Y
(2021)
Fluid-structure interaction analysis on motion control of a self-propelled flexible plate near a rigid body utilizing PD control
in Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
Luo Y
(2021)
Corrigendum: The effect of variable stiffness of tuna-like fish body and fin on swimming performance (2021 Bioinsp. Biomim. 16 016003)
in Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
Luo Y
(2020)
The effect of variable stiffness of tuna-like fish body and fin on swimming performance.
in Bioinspiration & biomimetics
Manchester EL
(2021)
Analysis of Turbulence Effects in a Patient-Specific Aorta with Aortic Valve Stenosis.
in Cardiovascular engineering and technology
Chutia A
(2022)
A study on the stability of gold copper bimetallic clusters on the CeO2(110) surface
in Catalysis Communications
Cherkasov N
(2021)
Selectivity of the Lindlar catalyst in alkyne semi-hydrogenation: a direct liquid-phase adsorption study
in Catalysis Science & Technology
Warren LR
(2021)
Direct evidence for distinct colour origins in ROY polymorphs.
in Chemical science
Bickerton LE
(2020)
Transmembrane anion transport mediated by halogen bonding and hydrogen bonding triazole anionophores.
in Chemical science
Sterling AJ
(2020)
Rationalizing the diverse reactivity of [1.1.1]propellane through s-p-delocalization.
in Chemical science
Description | It has been possible to operate the EPSRC Tier 2 HPC service for the benefit of both academic scientific research and industrial use. In particular, over the past 3 years we have had around 80 industry users annually on the system, either using it in collaborative projects with academic researchers or on a pay-per-use basis. |
Exploitation Route | If appropriate support for users is provided, coupled to a properly skilled business development team, any HPC centre should be able to develop local support for businesses on their HPC service. |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Agriculture Food and Drink Chemicals Construction Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Energy Financial Services and Management Consultancy Healthcare Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Description | EPCC's Tier 2 HPC Service - called Cirrus - has provided access to a number of companies over the past five years to help them improve their products and services. Many of these companies have come from the manufacturing and engineering sectors. Cirrus also formed part of the EC-funded Fortissimo Cloud of HPC Resources which provided pay-on-demand access to its resources for companies across Europe. A small company, the Fortissimo Marketplace Ltd has been established with the PI as Managing Director which markets Cirrus and other Fortissimo Cloud systems to companies across Europe. |
First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Construction,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Energy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Transport |
Impact Types | Economic |
Description | IAA Grant to Accelerate the impact of Cirrus uptake across Scottish Manufacturing SMEs via outreach in collaboration with CEED |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | We received an Impact Accelerator Activity award to allow us to promote the Cirrus Tier 2 service to Scottish Manufacturing SMEs. The work was undertaken in collaboration with CEED - an organisation representing Scottish Manufacturing and Engineering companies. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |