The Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative (VLSCI) has commissioned a SGI Altix XE1300 cluster for high performance computing (HPC) in its $A100 million (AUD) Parkville Precinct facility.

The SGI cluster will enable researchers to explore large databases, create complex simulation models and to visualise and analyse data to accelerate important cancer, cardiovascular and neurological disease and diabetes research.

“It is exciting for VLSCI and the University of Melbourne to see that 40 high-profile life sciences research projects are already progressing on our new SGI cluster,” said David Bannon, peak computing facility manager at VLSCI. “The successful projects cover a broad spectrum of life science research topics such as nano-molecular motors, G protein-coupled receptors or arteriosclerosis disease, amongst many others.”

The cluster contains 136 nodes, enabling data intensive applications to utilise the highest possible I/O performance, and 11.5 Teraflops of performance and 160TB of storage to support the initiative’s critical research.