Cambridge Service for Data Driven Discovery (CSD3) - A National Data Intensive Science Cloud for Converged Simulation, AI & Analytics

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The high-level aims of CSD3 are threefold:- Firstly, to provide the EPSRC community with an accessible, scalable and innovative world-class research facility, with 80% of the system freely available via an open national call. This will enable an increased quantity and diversity of EPSRC researchers, to exploit advanced simulation, data analytics and AI capability, significantly increasing impactful scientific outputs across the entire EPSRC portfolio. Secondly, to kickstart a significant innovation partnership with industry that will investigate emerging exascale technologies, feeding back into the UK-RI HPC roadmap and science programmes, helping to keep the UK at the forefront of HPC & AI technologies. Thirdly, to pro-actively drive a more coordinated Tier-2 network, with greatly improved vertical integration within wider UK-RI Ne-I.To achieve these aims, the proposal builds on the success our previous 2016 Tier-2 proposal where the University of Cambridge (UoC) combined its funds with those from STFC DiRAC and EPSRC Tier-2 to form "CSD3", the UK's largest data intensive national HPC service. CSD3 has seen by far the largest throughput of open-access Tier-2 projects of all current Tier-2 centers. This proposal again levers significant additional non-EPSRC funding, providing 144% match funding from UoC, STFC and industry. These significant investments will be used to enhance the EPSRC Tier-2 funding to expand four key elements of CSD3, integrated with the existing CSD3 to form a significantly enhanced capability.These new service elements are described briefly here: 1) Platform: Retain the highly successful data intensive heterogeneous architecture already deployed and significantly enhance its capacity: Firstly, growing the Intel X86 cluster from 36K cores to 72K. Secondly, create one of the world's first large-scale pre-exascale prototype systems for AI & simulation with exciting next-generation GPUs from NVIDIA doubling the number of GPUs from 360 to 720 but importantly with next generation cards, significantly faster than the current V100 generation. In total, for just £4M, this will increase the EPSRC simulation capability of CSD3 by 4X and its AI capability by 9X. 2) Service support: Substantially increase the user support, RSE, training and Tier-2 management and outreach capability. Also, in collaboration with N8-CIR, Supercomputing Wales, STFC DiRAC & STFC IRIS CSD3 will initiate a new collaboration with 3 key USA HPC centers involved in the US XSEDE HPC program to co-develop, integrate & test a world-leading software ecosystem for allocation management, reporting, impact analysis and improved accessibility of federated e-Infrastructure resources. 3) Accessibility: Improve the user access layer built on Openstack, by creating an ISO27001 certified environment for holding sensitive data, implementing application-specific portals to aid new disciplines and users and develop with an exemplar user community, a community focused scientific gateway, using the gateway tool kit developed at TACC. 4) Open Exascale Lab: An industry funded and jointly resourced partnership to undertake major innovation activity, investigating emerging exascale technologies, across networking, accelerators, programming environments, novel storage and filesystem technologies. Transforming the UK's access to emerging HPC technologies feeding science programs and UK-RI Ne-I roadmap.Thus this proposal will produce significant outputs and impact in 4 areas:- 1)help to deliver impactful EPSRC science across a large number of projects (targeted at 600) and increase UK industrial competitiveness 2)greatly enhanced access to HPC resources, significantly increase training /upskilling for both academic and industrial users 3)greatly enhance and coordinate Tier-2 programme with effort and software tools; 4)undertake significant technology innovation via industry funded Open Exascale La