ACADEMIA

A new supercomputer for biomedical simulation and data analysis

The Computation Institute (CI) a joint initiative between The University of Chicago (UChicago) and Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne), is pleased to announce the introduction of Beagle, a 150 teraflops, 18,000-core Cray XE6 supercomputer that will support computation, simulation and data analysis for the biomedical research community. Made possible by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NI) National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), Beagle will be housed in the new Theory and Computing Sciences (TCS) building at Argonne and will be available for use by UChicago researchers, their collaborators and other meritorious investigators nationwide.  “Innovative research requires access to the latest technologies," said NCRR Director Barbara Alving, M.D. "This high-performance tool will serve as a core resource that will help ensure scientists remain at the forefront of modern biomedical research.”

The system is named after the HMS Beagle, the ship that carried Charles Darwin on his famous scientific voyage in 1831. While Darwin’s Beagle enabled discoveries that established a unifying theory for all life sciences, the unique capabilities of UChicago’s Beagle will enable transformative innovation in basic, translational and clinical research leading to improved diagnostic strategies and life-sustaining medical treatment. Beagle is scheduled to dock in the TCS machine room by the end of the year, with her maiden voyage, for early adopters, set for the 202nd anniversary of Darwin’s birthday, February 12, 2011. The system should be placed into full production by the second quarter of the calendar year.

Ian Foster, director of the CI and principal investigator for the project, with UChicago’s team of technical and domain specialists, identified the need for a powerful computational environment that would serve the growing resource-intensive requirements of the biomedical research community. “Computation is fundamentally changing the nature of research in most disciplines, and biomedical researchers with access to advanced computational resources are more likely to make transformative progress,” said Foster. “We are excited about the opportunity to advance the biomedicine research frontier and greatly appreciate the support of the NIH-NCRR for this initiative.”