Related Information:
Central High Performance Computing
In 2009, the North-West University launched its High Performance Computing (HPC) Centre. This Centre was conceived because of the vast demand for computing power, especially in the field of Natural Science research. It is not limited to only Natural Science and Engineering experimental research, but is also accessible to departments across the whole spectrum of research at North-West University. We work with faculty and research groups across disciplines to design and maintain cost-effective computing facilities. The High Performance Computing (HPC) Centre provides support for High Performance Computing at NWU, and the aim of the HPC project is to extend the University's capacity to deliver research excellence and to become the top research Institution in South Africa.
The cluster is a Linux environment with a few compilers and executable programs installed.
The central High Performance Computing (HPC) Cluster, which provides researchers with an extremely powerful processing platform, has undergone several upgrades. The 2014 upgrade brought much needed features, improved parallel processing capabilities, and enhanced support for the latest and fastest hardware.
The long-standing NWU-HPC strategy provides recognition to the four different levels of computational research facilities, namely:
- Level 1: Personal workstation
- Level 2: Department Compute Cluster
- Level 3: Institutional HPC
- Level 4: Nat HPC
In a partnership with the Physics department, started in 2013, additional capacity and Infiniband capabilities were added to the central HPC to support their research needs for the duration of 2014. We have built on this partnership with the Physics department to extend their departmental cluster and accommodate their requirements. This cluster has already given their astrophysics research a welcome boost.
Due to the speed of technology and the ever increasing demand of researchers, we are continually monitoring the capacity of the Institutional HPC in order to plan for possible upgrades. The HPC capacity was evaluated at the end of 2015 and upgraded in the middle of 2016 to the new Yamato Cluster.
More information regarding our HPC architecture and clients can be found by exploring the links on the menu buttons.
High Performance Computing
High Performance Computing refers to supercomputers and computer clusters to solve advanced computation problems. Today, computer systems approaching the teraflops-region are considered HPC-computers. High-performance computing (HPC) is the use of parallel processing for running advanced application programs efficiently, reliably and quickly. The term applies especially to systems that function above a teraflop or 1012 floating-point operations per second. The term HPC is occasionally used as a synonym for supercomputing, although technically a supercomputer is a system that performs at or near the currently highest operational rate for computers. Some supercomputers work at more than a petaflop or 1015 floating-point operations per second.
Computer cluster
A computer cluster refers to a group of linked computers, working together closely so that in many respects they form a single computer. The components of a cluster are commonly, but not always, connected to each other through fast local area networks. Clusters are usually deployed to improve performance and/or availability over that provided by a single computer, while typically being much more cost-effective than single computers of comparable speed or availability.
Future of the HPC
The HPC is expanding regulary, and its initial success will surely prompt more funds to be allocated towards this project and its sustained growth. We are actively encouraging more and more users to submit their research proposals to the HPC Centre at NWU.
Who Can Use It?
All members of the NWU research community are eligible for a High Performance Computing account on our cluster.
How Do I Get It?
Please complete the Application Form and ensure all the details are correct.
Where Can I Get Help?
Help for HPC is available via:
1. The HPC Support tab on the main menu.
2. E-mail: HPC@nwu.ac.za
3. During office hours: Mon to Fri 0800B – 1600B