dcsc user conference 2008 1 april 2008, technical university of denmark

Friday 21 April 2023 Danish Center for Scientific Computing (DCSC) 1

DCSC User Conference 20081 April 2008, Technical University of Denmark

Scientific Computing in DenmarkWhere are we, and where are we heading?

Jens K. Nø[email protected]

Center for Atomic-scale Materials Design (CAMD) Charman of the Board, Dansh Center for Scientific Computing (DCSC)

Blegdamsvej 17; DK - 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark+45.35325453; [email protected]; www.dcsc.dk


Outline

Danish Center for Scientific Computing (DCSC):

Where are we?:

• DCSC Aim, Background and Status

• DCSC Budget

• DCSC Organisation Specifics

Where are we heading?:

• DCSC Open Calls

• DCSC Strategy Basics – HPC,

User Support, Gridification

• Conclusion

Friday 21 April 2023 Dansk Center for Scientific Computing (DCSC) 3

DCSC Aim

Aim – HPC & Grid for academia, by academia

DCSC is a national research infrastructure organisation under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation with the aim of:

1. Providing the best Danish research activities with the best possible HPC infrastructure, as seen by the research communities.

2. Fostering current or potential HPC user communities, into producing strong and successful HPC based research teams

3. Building and operating Grid Infrastructure (being the Danish National Grid Initiative, NGI)

4. Danish international node/member: EGI; Sirene; e-IRG, NDGF (2009) …


DCSC Background

Background – From Centralisation to Decentralisation

< 2001: Centralised HPC organisation

• Little university engagement

• Funding to computer centre, investing centralised

• Focus on support and add-ons (overheads) vs. cycles

>2001: DCSC established ==>

• University/Ministry consortium and co-funding

• Funding to researchers, investing in university facilities

• Focus on hardware


DCSC Status (1)

Status – A new Danish HPC reality as of 19 December 2007

DCSC Expansion Plan approved by Minister ==>

• 80% increase in average annual budget (2008-2010) to MDKK 27.6 (MEUR 3.7)

• Introducing funding for User Support

• Merger with Danish Center for Grid Computing (DCGC)

National Grid Initiative (NGI) formed

Taking over commitment to NDGF (as of 2009)

• Strengthening international HPC and Grid cooperation


DCSC Status (2)

Status – Two calls 2008: Deadline 1 April 2008

• MDKK 17.8 (EUR 2.4) for Scientific Computing hardware (HDW), or access to Scientific Computing hardware (CPU)

• MDKK 8.0 (EUR 1,07) for Centres for Advanced User Support (CAUS)

• At 12 o'clock (at call closure) we will know better what the future can bring !

• And, as for the next three years, our plans.... ==>


DCSC Budget (2008 – 2010)

DCSC Activities (Million DKK; EUR)

2007 2008 2009 2010 Annual Av.

%2008-2010

Calls for HPC proposals (Hardware)

14.11.89

17.82.39

27.53.69

16.82.25

20.72.77

75.6%

Call for CAUS proposals (Support & Grid)

8.01.07

2.70.36

9.7%

International cooperation (NDGF)

3.50.47

3.50.47

3.50.47

8.5%

DCSC Secretariat 1.70.23

1.70.23

1.70.23

1.70.23

1.70.23

6.2%

Total* 15.82.12

27.53.69

32.74.38

22.02.95

27.43.67

100.0%

* Universities fund HPC operations, being buildings, cooling, electricity, support staff etc. (≈50% co-financing) .... ==>


DCSC Organisation Specifics (1)

Decentralised organisation of HPCresources in Denmark

•University-Ministry Consortium partnership

•5 decentralised regional operating centres

•1 centralised (slim) coordinating administration

•5 out of 10 board members represent the 5 universities

•Board members are experienced users, representatives from industry, R&D funding agencies and/or abroad



DCSC Board:

• Jens K. Nørskov (Chairman); Center for Atomic-scale Materials Design (CAMD); Technical University of Denmark

• Henrik Vissing (Deputy Chairman); AstraZeneca R&D

• Jeppe Olsen; Department of Chemistry; Aarhus University

• John Renner Hansen, Niels Bohr Institute; University of Copenhagen

• Christian Brix Jacobsen; Fluid Mechanics; GRUNDFOS Management A/S

• Dorte Hammershøi; Institut for Elektroniske Systemer; Aalborg Universitet

• Bjørn Hafskjold; Dean; Norwegian University of Science and Technology

• Ole G. Mouritsen; Center for Biomembrane Physics; University of Southern Denmark

• Erland Hejn Nielsen; Department of Business Studies; Aarhus School of Business

• Michael I. Schwartzbach; Department of Computer Science; University of Aarhus



• Universities host and pay part of HPC operations (i.e. buildings, cooling, electricity etc.) ~ 50% co-funding

• Main DCSC budget for HPC hardware (2007=89%; 2008=76%), though user support is introduced in 2008

• Funding to research teams only (not computer centres)

• Hardware determined by researchers (advised by operating centres)

• Hardware purchased by, located at, and run by operating centres

• 10% of hardware grants reserved for pool of free resources

• Young researchers or new areas can get easy access to pool of free resources


DCSC Strategy Basics – HPC

To provide more, of what we do best: Hardware

• University/Ministry consortium: Engagement, commitment and sharing of burden and opportunities

• Decentralised organisation: 5 local university operating centres linked together in the Grid

• Division of labour: DCSC := hardware; Universities := operations; All funding agencies:= manpower; DCSC & Universities := User Support.

• International cooperation primarily through Nordic cooperation

• One central shared memory machine + Nordic and/or European collaboration for access to extremely large systems (e.g. PRACE, Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe).


DCSC Strategy Basics – User Support

Support for DCSC's research user groups through Centres for Advanced User Support (CAUS)

Call aim is to co-fund CAUS staff:

… could e.g. be for development or execution of software on DCSC installations; design studies; inclusion of specific SC expertise in the research groups; experimenting with new hardware; code-porting to other SC architectures; etc..


DCSC Strategy Basics – Gridification

Gridification through Centres for Advanced User Support (CAUS)

Call aim is to co-fund CAUS staff:

… to make the DCSC pool of free HPC resources (10 % of all DCSC HPC resources) accessible via one or more Grid middleware frontends. HPC jobs should be submitted and executed in a user friendly way, seamlessly joining DCSC HPC resources in one virtual unified resource, servicing high quality research projects.


Conclusion

DCSC concludes:

• Provide more Close-to-lab hardware• Build critical mass in broad decentralized university

centres. • Provide one shared memory high performance

machine for the whole country• Add targeted user support for development or

execution • Gridify the pool of free HPC resources • Strengthen international cooperation through

intermediate Nordic cooperation


Thank you, for your interest and attention

www.dcsc.dk



DCSC Organisation PRO’s:

• Researchers decide how best to invest scares funding

• Resources are focused – i.e. determined by users...

• Close-to-lab utilization: System administrators know their customers and researchers know, and control, their hardware

• Synergy between research, instrument setup and utilization

• University engagement: Legitimacy for HPC investments as well as for DCSC

• Strong elite users spearhead development of HPC infrastructure

• High output of high quality research



DCSC Organisation CON’s:

• Presumes substantial HPC experience. Researchers must know what they want, why and how. However....:

• Frail critical mass within user support and research community cooperation. However....:

• Deficient economy of scale. However....:

• Vague synergy, specialization and division of labor. However....:



Concluding PRO’s and CON’sas to a

decentralized vs. centralized organization

of national HPC for research:

PRO’s clearly outweigh CON’swhen opting for decentralization

dcsc user conference 2008 1 april 2008, technical university of denmark

Documents

dcsc status

dcsc activities

dcsc backgroundbackground

dcsc aimaim hpc grid

dcsc user conference

dcsc expansion plan

outlinedanish center

dansh center