Cambridge is leading the detailed design of the world’s largest radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), which will process vast streams of cosmic data. The SKA will link thousands of antennas across two continents to map the sky with unprecedented sensitivity, but its success hinges on a computing system capable of handling exabytes of data per day. Cambridge’s Science Data Processor consortium is designing the complete software and hardware pipeline that will turn raw signals into usable astronomical images, excluding only real-time control systems. The team is also contributing to the low- and mid-frequency antenna arrays, including the SKALA element. This is fundamental science: the SKA will probe the early universe, test gravity theories, and search for signs of life beyond Earth. No immediate practical application is promised, but past investments in large-scale data processing—such as the algorithms behind Wi-Fi and medical imaging—emerged from similar astronomy projects. If the design succeeds, the SKA will transform how we understand cosmic structure and evolution, while pushing computing and data management to new frontiers.
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This grant is in support of the detailed design work for the SKA to be undertaken at the University of Cambridge. The SKA has now entered the detailed design phase. The Office of the SKA Organisation published a request for proposals in 2013. Cambridge responded to this request as the lead of the Science Data Processor consortium to undertake the work package of the same name and a major part of the Low-frequency Aperture Array and Mid-frequency aperture array consortia work packages led by ASTRON. All responses to the RfP were evaluated and scrutinised by the SKAO and Board of the SKA Organisation. After negotiation with the SKA Organisation all of the consortia in which Cambridge lead or are involved were successful and awarded the work by the SKA Organisation. This application is for the funding to undertake this work as awarded by the SKA Organisation. This submission is to support a further year of design work through to Critical Design Review submission in 2018. Cambridge leads the Science Data Processor Consortium and associated work package. This work package will deliver the design for the complete software and computing processing system excluding the real-time control. As lead organisation Cambridge will manage the delivery across the entire consortium and critically provide the project manager, project engineer and project scientist. Key elements of the design that will be delivered directly from Cambridge include (but are not limited to) the overall architecture, system design, the prototyping of the software and hardware systems including the management of the open architecture lab, all management documentation, and the full documentation sets for preliminary and critical design reviews. In addition Cambridge manages the industrial contracts which form a critical element of the delivery. Cambridge also has a major role in the Low-frequency Aperture array and Mid-frequency Aperture Array work packages and associated consortia. Here we provide the system engineer in both cases and have responsibility for the overall system design and design of the low-frequency aperture-array element itself, SKALA.
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