Randall Sobie uses Arbutus Cloud to understand fundamental properties of the universe. Photo credit: uvic.ca
BRITISH COLUMBIA – The Digital Research Alliance of Canada (the Alliance) has awarded more than $50 million to two national host sites in British Columbia.
Simon Fraser University (SFU) was awarded $41,525,000 to upgrade the compute infrastructure of Cedar, one of the most powerful academic supercomputers in Canada.
The University of Victoria (UVic) received $10,282,500 for infrastructure upgrades to Arbutus, the largest cloud computing installation for academic research in the country.
The Government of British Columbia announced an additional investment of $24,567,600 in SFU’s Cedar HPC renewal and $6,141,900 in UVic’s Arbutus Cloud renewal.
The Arbutus investment will add powerful storage and compute capabilities to UVic’s cloud infrastructure, increasing stability and support for researchers when processing, sharing and storing massive data sets. The upgrade will also enable the next generation of supercomputers to be cooled more quietly and efficiently using water instead of air. The warm water expelled during the cooling process can be re-purposed for secondary uses like heating a building, contributing to UVic’s goal of becoming a climate-positive campus by 2050.
SFU’s Cedar system provides advanced computing power and storage to fuel research innovation and industry, government and academic collaboration across Canada. Cedar is helping SFU engineering science professor Mirza Faisal Beg to capture images of the human body and organ measurements much faster than traditional methods and could help in redefining cancer treatment. With each patient’s unique body composition, a personalized treatment plan responsive to both disease and individual traits can lead to improved health outcomes while minimizing adverse side effects.
“For years, SFU’s Supercomputer Cedar has empowered Canadian researchers to tackle problems in sectors ranging from personalized medicine for better patient care to green technologies to help fight climate change,” said SFU President Joy Johnson. “These generous investments from the Digital Research Alliance of Canada and the Province of British Columbia will allow us to continue making a difference for B.C., Canada and the world through the use of advanced computing power. I cannot wait to see the incredible innovations and discoveries that are ahead of us.”
UVic’s Arbutus Cloud has revolutionized how scientists process, share and store massive data sets. With processing speeds thousands of times faster than a desktop computer, it serves as the cornerstone for more than 1,000 research teams across Canada and more than 3 million end-users worldwide. Arbutus’s use of AI and machine learning to analyze and visualize advanced 3D imaging of the brain is helping determine exactly what causes the brain’s immune cells to change drastically and how this affects cognitive function. UVic’s Marie-Ève Tremblay’s globally recognized research is providing a better understanding of learning, memory, behaviour and cognition.
“Cloud computing accelerates the speed of research and streamlines collaboration across countries and continents,” said UVic Vice-President, Research and Innovation Lisa Kalynchuk. “UVic’s Arbutus Cloud supports more than 1,000 research teams across Canada in their quest for new knowledge that impacts our everyday lives. We’re very grateful for this investment, which will support both fundamental science and applied research discoveries that improve our health, our homes, and our understanding of the universe – from unlocking secrets of the brain, to understanding the cosmos, to modelling solutions for a healthier, more sustainable future.”
Source: Digital Research Alliance of Canada
