Penn launched a center to support computational research and provide consolidated access to technological resources across disciplines.
The University announced the establishment of the Penn Advanced Research Computing Center on Oct. 22.
The center will will aid computational and data-driven research through hardware, software, system support, and research consulting services, with the goal of advancing Penn’s research community, according to the announcement.
The initiative contributes to one of the key principles of the University’s strategic plan, “In Principle and Practice,” which emphasizes interdisciplinary leadership.
Phase I of PARCC will include a high-performance computing data cluster at a regional colocation data center. PARCC will enhance computing resources by adding more graphics processing units and central processing units, which will all be integrated into a high-speed storage and networking setup. This expansion will double the existing computing capacity at Penn, according to the announcement.
The center emerged from a faculty working group in 2023 that evaluated the University's computational research. In its summary report, the group suggested centralizing Penn's physical infrastructure for academic research and creating a staff pool dedicated to provide data science support.
PARCC will also be developing a sustainable operational model that ensures cost-effective and future-ready technology, significantly lowering cloud costs. PARCC will offer support to researchers in all schools at Penn, allowing for researchers to continue developing in areas such as artificial intelligence and data research.
Phase II of PARCC will focus on providing additional resources for computational research such as data science consulting, high-performance computing services, and enhanced capacity to meet growing need and demand.
PARCC is still searching for an inaugural center director and other technical staff, but it plans to open in spring of 2025.
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