New User Information | High Performance Research Computing (2024)

The computer systems managed by HPRC are available for use free of charge to university faculty, staff, and students who require large-scale computing capabilities. Access to and use of such systems is permitted only for academic research and instructional activity. All other use is strictly prohibited without the approval of the High Performance Research Computing Resource Allocation Committee.

All HPRC users are responsible for knowing and following our policies.

Resources

HPRC provides users access to several HPC clusters at Texas A&M University. Consult the resource comparison page for the hardware differences between the HPRC clusters.

Jointly funded by the University of Texas System, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, and the University of North Texas Lonestar 6 at TACC provides additional resources to TAMU researchers.

Getting An Account

Please visit our account applications page to begin applying for an account on our resources. Users working on medium or high intensity projects should also have their principal investigator request a research allocation.

HPRC provides users access to several HPC clusters at Texas A&M University. Consult the resource comparison page for the hardware differences between the HPRC clusters.

Consult our account allocation policy for more information.

For External Users

HPRC resources are available for use to external users who are actively collaborating with TAMU faculty or staff. HPRC supports TAMU researchers to stimulate the formation of collaborations with outside entities.

Accounts for users at not-for-profit external entities are not charged for usage, but may be added as sub-accounts under a TAMU faculty or staff Principal Investigator (PI).

Accounts for users at commercial for-profit entities are offered at commercial cost recovery rates (Five cents per CPU core hour). TAMU faculty or staff who are collaborating with and supported by external for-profit entities are NOT subject to the commercial rate schedule, however, charges are made for usage by their external collaborators. Industry users will have to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HPRC to use HPRC resources. Users must apply for and receive their own accounts and may NOT be added as sub-accounts under a TAMU faculty or staff PI.

Determination of active collaboration with external entities and persons will be made annually, and when the TAMU collaborating PI asserts that a collaboration has ended. External users are expected to follow HPRC guidelines with respect to acknowledgement of support for their work.

NOTE: External users must provide their own licenses to use any licensed software on HPRC resources.

For Visiting Scholars, Affiliates, and Collaborators

At a bare minimum, you will need a TAMU assigned NetID which can provide login access to the TAMU campus resources and the HPRC clusters. The issuance of NetIDs is controlled by the TAMU Identity Management Office. A full-time TAMU System faculty or staff employee must sponsor the NetID account request. In addition to a sponsor (PI), the Division of Research requires that collaborators using HPRC resources file a visiting scholars report. Users will need to apply for a Basic account to get started on (using) HPRC resources. From there, their sponsoring PI can provide them "Service Units" (SUs=CPUs x hours) for use.

Getting Started

After your accounts are activated, consult our knowledgebase user guides for accessing our resources. See also Understanding SSH from LinkedIn Learning if you are new to using SSH.

If you are new to HPRC resources, the following resources are recommended:

  • The HPRC YouTube Channel contains the playlists Getting Started and Open OnDemand as video resources.
  • Quick start guides are available in the knowledgebase. .
  • Short courses are provided on using HPRC resources and various software and tools available on the clusters.

You should also become familiar with the AMS accounting system.

There is a variety of pre-installed software available. See the Software page for more information. NOTE: We are unable to provide support for software that is not installed on our clusters. Furthermore, our ability to provide advanced support for the installed software is limited. If you have a problem, please ask our helpdesk - we will try to find a solution or support contact for you.

If you are new to working in a Unix or Linux environment, consult the following: Introduction to Linux Short Course

Training, Knowledge Base, Consulting

New users are strongly encouraged to attend our shortcourses, which are typically offered every semester.

Short course and primer recordings are available on the HPRC YouTube channel. The channel also provides several short instructional videos in navigating HPRC resources.

If you run into any trouble, we also have a FAQ page with some of the most common issues we see and their solutions. If you need assistance with using our systems, our helpdesk is available during normal business hours.

New User Information | High Performance Research Computing (2024)

FAQs

What are the examples of high performance computing? ›

For example, HPC sequences DNA, automates stock trading, and runs artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and simulations—such as those enabling self-driving automobiles—that analyze terabytes of data streaming from IoT sensors, radar and GPS systems in real time to make split-second decisions.

What is considered high performance computing? ›

Share this page. High performance computing (HPC) is the ability to process data and perform complex calculations at high speeds. To put it into perspective, a laptop or desktop with a 3 GHz processor can perform around 3 billion calculations per second.

What is the justification for high performance computing? ›

Improved speed and efficiency: HPC allows you to perform calculations and simulations much faster than you can on a regular desktop computer or laptop. This lets you complete tasks quickly, save time and money, and make more informed decisions.

What is the difference between HPC and HTC? ›

Unlike High-Performance Computing (HPC), which focuses on executing a small number of complex tasks in parallel to achieve high-speed processing, HTC is geared towards handling a massive quantity of relatively independent tasks.

Who are the most common users of high performance computing systems? ›

The most common users of HPC systems are scientific researchers, engineers and academic institutions. Some government agencies, particularly the military, also rely on HPC for complex applications.

What is the most popular HPC software? ›

CentOS is widely used in data centers throughout the world and is by far the most popular operating system for HPC clusters, including our large faculty research clusters. Some key facts: RHEL and CentOS are the most widely supported Unix-compatible operating systems among commercial scientific software vendors.

What are the elements required for high-performance computing? ›

The main elements in an HPC system are network, storage and compute. The compute part of the system takes the data given to it via the network and spins up results. An HPC cluster consists of hundreds or even thousands of compute servers—or nodes—that are networked together.

What is the fastest high performance computer? ›

As of May 2022, the fastest supercomputer on the TOP500 supercomputer list is Frontier, in the US, with a LINPACK benchmark score of 1.102 ExaFlop/s, followed by Fugaku.

Where can I learn high-performance computing? ›

  • University of Colorado Boulder. Introduction to High-Performance and Parallel Computing. ...
  • Dartmouth College. C Programming with Linux. ...
  • Johns Hopkins University. CUDA at Scale for the Enterprise. ...
  • University of Geneva. ...
  • University of Washington. ...
  • The State University of New York. ...
  • Dartmouth College. ...
  • University of Colorado Boulder.

Is high-performance computing a skill? ›

HPC is essential for many scientific, engineering, and industrial applications that require high speed, accuracy, and scalability. However, HPC is also a dynamic and evolving field that demands constant learning and updating of skills and knowledge.

What is the benefit of high performance? ›

Higher Job Satisfaction: A high-performance culture provides employees with challenging and rewarding work, leading to higher job satisfaction, lower training costs, and improved employee engagement.

What is the advantage of high performance? ›

A high-performing workplace is a management style that gives employees higher responsibilities and more involvement in decisions. This style of management improves employee growth and profitability alongside business growth.

Why is HPC important in cloud computing? ›

HPC allows businesses and organizations to process all of that data in a timely manner, fueling new insights, innovations, and scientific discoveries. This allows companies to forecast business scenarios, predict market fluctuations, and make recommendations.

Is HPC the same as cloud computing? ›

High-performance computing refers to networking several computers together in a cluster and aggregating their computational power to perform complex calculations at high speeds. Cloud computing gives organizations the ability to scale their HPC applications.

What is the difference between HPC and normal computer? ›

Putting HPC Into Perspective

An average desktop computer can perform billions of calculations per second. While this is incredibly impressive in comparison to the speed at which humans can complete complex calculations, HPC solutions are capable of performing quadrillions of calculations in one second.

What is 4 a high-performance computer used for large information processing jobs? ›

Mainframe computer – a high-performance computer used for large information processing jobs.

What is the difference between a supercomputer and an HPC? ›

While supercomputing typically refers to the process of complex and large calculations used by supercomputers, high-performance computing (HPC) is the use of multiple supercomputers to process complex and large calculations. Both terms are often used interchangeably.

What is the difference between GPU and HPC? ›

High-performance computing is a technique of processing massive amounts of data and performing complex calculations at high speeds. A GPU is a specialized processing unit with enhanced mathematical computation capability, making it ideal for HPC applications.

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