Building a Shared Resource HPC Center Across University Schools and Institutes: A Case Study

Abstract

Over the past several years, The George Washington University has recruited a significant number of researchers in a wide variety of domains requiring the availability of advanced computational resources. We discuss the challenges and obstacles encountered planning and establishing a first-time high performance computing center at the university level and present a set of solutions that will be useful for any university developing a fledgling high performance computing center. We focus on justification and cost model, strategies for determining anticipated use cases, planning appropriate resources, staffing, user engagement, and metrics for gauging success.

arXiv comment5 pages, 2 tables. Submitted to SC16 and XSEDE16