New supercomputer – a resource for the whole University
Using the new supercomputer at UPPMAX, Ångström Laboratory. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University.
For the first time since 2017, Uppsala University has invested in a new supercomputer for the UPPMAX computer centre in Ångström Laboratory.
“This resource can be used by all employed teachers and researchers, so it’s important for the whole University,” says Peter Broqvist, who is UPPMAX’s director.
Peter Broqvvist, Director at UPPMAX. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University.
The digitalisation of research, and especially rapid developments in machine learning and artificial intelligence, mean that more and more researchers and research fields need large-scale storage and computing resources – supercomputers in other words. To meet this need, the University has invested in a new supercomputer that, together with advanced user support, is intended to meet our basic needs.
“All employed teachers and researchers at UU can use the new supercomputer. It’s funded by all three disciplinary domains that together subsidise the costs for ‘normal use’ of the supercomputer. For more complex needs, UPPMAX user support can help you to apply for funding from national and international funding bodies. There is also the option of large-scale utilisation of the UPPMAX resources, but that sort of use attracts a user fee,” says Peter Broqvist.
Resources for broad research and sensitive data
To cover the needs of the broad range of research conducted at UU, in terms of both storage and computing resources, there is a resource called Pelle available within the new supercomputer. For processing sensitive data for UU researchers, a resource called Maja has now also been established. Pelle and Maja will be local resources, intended as supplementary to national initiatives, to assure the needs of UU researchers for large-scale storage and computational capacity. Other organisations in the region and within Sweden, such as Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), will also be given the opportunity to use Pelle and Maja, but for a fee.
“UPPMAX’s speciality has been the processing of sensitive data, mainly in research in the life sciences. UU’s investment in Maja enables this processing of sensitive data to continue efficiently. In that area, we work actively to facilitate processes for researchers by providing both secure environments and technical and legal knowledge within our user support,” continues Peter.
UPPMAX is also an infrastructure for teaching, with resources for courses from all faculties. This gives teachers access to modern computer architecture to provide their students with courses able to keep up with the rapid developments in digitalisation in society.
Increased access through the UPPMAX Lab
“To meet the increasing need for data storage and high-performance computing at UU, we are working actively to increase access to our supercomputers. An example of this is the development of UPPMAX Lab. It’s an easy entry point to get started and test our supercomputers in a controlled environment, for example. There you can use your University ID and a web browser to access Pelle and try it out for yourself. And of course you can always contact us via user support if you need our help,” says Peter Broqvist.
The idea is that UPPMAX Lab will be further developed and become an accessible resource that covers many basic needs in both teaching and research. A user forum will be established to identify user needs and steer development. To get started and for quick access to Pelle and Maja, UPPMAX’s ‘Get Started’ web page is recommended. There you will find support forms, e-mail address, guides and introductory material.
Johan Åhrgren
Facts about UPPMAX
- UPPMAX is Uppsala University’s research infrastructure and resource for high-performance computing and large-scale storage. The name stands for Uppsala Multidisciplinary Centre for Advanced Computational Science and is a centre at the Department of Information Technology.
- UPPMAX’s resources have been utilised mainly by the Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology (roughly 60 per cent), and the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy (around 40 per cent). Usage by the Disciplinary Domain of Humanities and Social Sciences has been barely 1 per cent, but interest there is growing due to the use of large language models and digital transcription in research contexts, for example.
- UPPMAX has collaborated with SciLifeLab since 2011, and since 2017 has hosted the national supercomputer Bianca, which has been the resource for processing sensitive data UPPMAX has also operated a supercomputer for general needs, Rackham, due to Uppsala University’s unique breadth in education and research. Rackham has been used by researchers from a very large number of scientific fields, ranging from law to physics and everything in between.
- The new resource named Pelle replaces Rackham, and Maja replaces Bianca. The names Pelle and Maja have been chosen because, like UPPMAX, they have a clear connection to Uppsala, alluding to the series of books about Pelle Svanslös (Pelle No-Tail) which are set in Uppsala, whereas Rackham was a reference to the Tintin character Red Rackham.