MRI: Acquisition of a High-Performance Computational System for OAK Region to Enable Computing and Data Driven Discovery

该项目将获得并部署高性能计算(HPC)系统，为俄克拉荷马州-阿肯色州-堪萨斯州(OAK)地区的研究人员和教育工作者提供服务。计算建模、模拟和数据分析是科学、工程和数学各个领域新发现的基本工具。特别是，现代研究的突破是由计算和记忆能力带来的海量数据推动的，这些数据往往与机器学习/人工智能(ML/AI)技术相结合。这一系统将促进该地区高性能计算协作生态系统的发展，满足经验丰富的用户的需求，并使首次使用该系统的用户，特别是来自服务不足的小型机构的用户能够使用该系统。技术诀窍交流、定期研讨会和会议将促进具有区域和国家重要性的合作研究努力。对研究生、本科生和高中生进行计算和数据科学方面的实践培训，将广泛提高橡树地区科学和工程劳动力的技能。部署的系统将利用最新的CPU、尖端图形处理器(GPU)、100TB聚合内存、HDR InfiniBand互连和PB级高速存储的能力。该系统由几种类型的节点(纯CPU、中端GPU和高端GPU)组成，将提供近1亿核心小时的计算，并将成为科学和工程研究的重要地区性资源。该系统将服务的初步研究领域包括生物学、人类和动物健康、农业、环境研究、化学和化学工程、半导体材料研究、网络安全和社会网络建模、可再生能源研究、地震学、高能物理和医学物理。该系统提供的显著改进的计算和数据分析能力将极大地有利于科学生产力。此外，该仪器将使教师能够将高性能计算和数据分析技术纳入STEM教育课程，使计算思维成为下一代科学家心目中研究的一部分。降低进入重债穷国的门槛也将有助于改善对妇女、少数群体和代表性不足群体的教育和培训。该系统还将通过协作机制，如推进吞吐量计算伙伴关系(PATH)和开放科学网格(OSG)，贡献橡树地区以外的计算资源。该项目由重大研究仪器(MRI)计划、既定的激励竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)和计算机与信息科学与工程(CESE)理事会共同资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will acquire and deploy a high-performance computing (HPC) system to serve the researchers and educators in the broad Oklahoma-Arkansas-Kansas (OAK) region. Computational modeling, simulations, and data analytics are essential tools for new discoveries across all areas of science, engineering and mathematics. In particular, modern research breakthroughs are being driven by vast amounts of data enabled by computing and memory capacity, often combined with machine-learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI) techniques. This system will seed the growth of a collaborative HPC ecosystem in the region, serving the needs of experienced users and enabling first time users, especially from small and under-served institutions. Technical know-how exchange, regular seminars, and conferences will promote collaborative research endeavors of regional and national importance. Hands on training of graduate, undergraduate and high-school students in computational and data sciences will broadly improve the skill-sets of the science and engineering workforce in the OAK region. The deployed system will harness the power of the latest CPUs, cutting-edge graphics processing units (GPUs), 100 Terabytes of aggregate memory, an HDR InfiniBand interconnect, and Petabyte-scale high-speed storage. This system consisting of several types of nodes (CPUs-only, mid-range GPUs, and high-end GPUs) will provide close to 100 million-core hours of computing and will serve as a vital regional resource for science and engineering research. Initial research areas to be served by the system include biology, human and animal health, agriculture, environment research, chemistry and chemical engineering, semiconductor materials research, cybersecurity and social network modeling, renewable energy research, seismology, high-energy physics, and medical physics. This significantly improved computing and data analysis capabilities provided by this system will greatly benefit scientific productivity. Furthermore, the instrument will make it possible for faculty to include HPC and data analysis techniques in the STEM education curriculum, leading to computational thinking becoming a part of research in the minds of the next generation of scientists. Lowering the barrier of entry to HPC will also help improve the education and training of women, minorities and under-represented groups. This system will also contribute computing resources beyond the OAK region through collaborative mechanisms such as the Partnership to Advance Throughput computing (PATh) and the Open Science Grid (OSG).This project is jointly funded by the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program, the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) Directorate.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.