Acquisition of SGI Onyx 3400 Supercomputer

我们建议购买一台SGI Onyx 3400超级计算机，能够在模拟，计算和可视化方面具有最先进的性能，以升级完善的计算核心设施，并为西奈山医学院（MSSM）最近成立的高级成像项目提供基本的计算引擎。MSSM最近的一项扩展成像和计算科学的倡议，以及成像技术中带宽和分辨率的持续发展，正在产生巨大的多维数据集（在本提案中约为20-4090 GB），其分析，重建和可视化需要的计算速度和内存远远超过可用资源。在MSSM中，没有机器电流可以用于超过大约1gb的大型多维数据集的可视化和模拟。高级成像计划是一个分布式计划，包括所有级别的显微镜分析，磁共振显微镜和人类和动物模型的几种成像模式，并促进研究人员之间的思想交流和合作倡议，这对于确保MSSM科学研究的持续进步至关重要。除了主要用户群之外，超级计算/可视化设施将提供给邻近机构（MYU, SUNY Stony Brook）的合作者，为高性能计算和可视化提供集中资源，并促进更广泛的纽约研究界之间的跨学科和机构间合作。所提议的Onyx 3400超级计算机的主要用户所描述的每个研究项目目前都受到计算限制或未满足的可视化需求的限制，这些需求超出了任何可用计算资源的范围。将受益于拟议设备的项目代表了广泛的基础科学和临床相关研究，这些研究大量利用了MSSM发达的成像设备，但缺乏集中的计算和可视化设备。拟议的超级计算机的收购将通过建立一个通过计算密集型分析和显示高分辨率图像数据的共同设施，对MSSM的研究产生重大影响。作为一个共享的计算设施，它将促进主要用户之间新型定量成像和图像分析工具的开发和交流，并促进来自不同领域具有共同计算和可视化需求的研究人员的多学科互动。

We propose to acquire an SGI Onyx 3400 supercomputer, capable of state-of-the-art performance in simulation, computation and visualization, to upgrade a well-established Computational Core facility, and to provide the basic computational engine of the recently formed Advanced Imaging Program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM). A recent initiative at MSSM to expand the imaging and computational sciences, together with the ongoing evolution of bandwidth and resolution in imaging technology is generating enormous multi-dimensional datasets (on order 20-4090 GB in this proposal) whose analysis, reconstruction and visualization demands computational speed and memory far exceeding available resources. No machine current exists at MSSM for visualization and simulation of large multi- dimensional datasets in excess of approximately 1 GB. The Advanced Imaging Program is a distributed program that incorporates all levels of microscopic analysis, MR microscopy and several imaging modalities in humans and animal models, and promotes the exchange of ideas and collaborative initiatives amongst researchers that is essential to ensure the continued advancement of scientific research at MSSM. In addition to the major user group, the supercomputing/visualization facility will be available to collaborators at neighboring institutions (MYU, SUNY Stony Brook), providing a centralized resource for high-performance computational and visualization, and fostering interdisciplinary and inter- institutional collaborations amongst the wider New York research community. Each of the research programs described by the major users of the proposed Onyx 3400 supercomputer is current constrained either by computational limitations or by unmet visualization requirements that are beyond the scope of any available computational resources. The projects that will benefit from the proposed equipment represents a broad range of basic scientific and clinically related studies, which heavily utilize well-developed imaging facilities at MSSM, but are lacking a centralized computational and visualization facility. The acquisition of the proposed supercomputer will have a major impact on research at MSSM by establishing a common facility by computationally intensive analysis and display of high-resolution imaged data. As a shared computational facility, it will promote development and exchange of novel quantitative imaging and image analysis tools between the major users, and foster multi-disciplinary interactions with investigators from diverse areas with common computational and visualization requirements.