Completed Computing & AI Physics & Astronomy

Proposal to Extend the Edinburgh Advanced Computing Facility to House ARCHER

Funder EPSRC (part of UKRI)
Recipient organisation University of Edinburgh
Funding £10.0M
Period Mar 2012 — Mar 2013

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

The University of Edinburgh is building an extension to its Advanced Computing Facility to house a new supercomputer called ARCHER. This matters because the UK’s most powerful research computers generate enormous amounts of heat and consume vast quantities of electricity. The existing facility, which already hosts national supercomputing services, has run out of space and power capacity. Without this extension, the country would lack the physical infrastructure needed to run the next generation of high-performance computing—machines that scientists rely on for climate modelling, drug design, materials simulation, and fundamental physics. The extension will add floor space and electrical power capacity, and is designed to achieve a power usage effectiveness below the current state-of-the-art. If successful, this means ARCHER will run more efficiently than previous systems, reducing both operational costs and environmental impact. The project is scheduled so that the first phase of ARCHER can be installed as soon as the hardware is ready. This is an infrastructure project, not a scientific experiment. Its impact is invisible but essential: without buildings like this, the supercomputers that quietly underpin much of modern research cannot operate.

View original technical description
This proposal aims to construct a highly energy-efficient extension to the University of Edinburgh's Advanced Computing Facility (ACF) to house the next generation High Performance Computer (HPC), ARCHER. The ACF, which is situated on a science park to the south of the city of Edinburgh, was completely refurbished in 2004 to house all present and planned HPC systems operated by the University. From 2007 it has been the home for the HECToR service and currently we are installing the DiRAC BlueGene/Q there. It is a free-standing non-public-access building offering excellent security. The specification, design and implementation of the new facility are being carried out by the same University/private enterprise partnership who undertook the original refurbishment, the extension and upgrades required for HECToR in 2007, and the upgrade for BlueGene/Q in 2011. The extension will add 500 square metres of floor space and 3MW of electrical power capacity, achieving power usage effectiveness (power used by the centre/power used by ARCHER) less than 1.1, the current state-of-the-art. The project is proceeding on a timetable to complete the building extension, and mechanical and electrical installations, by March 2013, so that the first phase of ARCHER can be installed and service begun as soon as the hardware procurement is completed and the computer ready.

View the original record at the funder ↗

Researchers

Arthur Trew (Principal Investigator)Michael William Brown (Co-Investigator)Richard Kenway (Co-Investigator)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Proposal to Extend the Research Data Facility at the University of Edinburgh
EPCC Tier 2 HPC Service
ARCHER Outreach: Promoting HPC Diversity, Outreach, Impact and Engagement
EPSRC Core Capital University of York
Kelvin-2

Original classification

Research Grant

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.