Tufts U Wins Silicon Mechanics HPC Cluster

Tufts University's new HPC cluster from Silicon Mechanics includes compnents from NVIDIA, AMD, Kingston Technology, Mellanox Technologies, Supermicro, Seagate, and Bright Computing.
Tufts University's new HPC cluster from Silicon Mechanics includes compnents from NVIDIA, AMD, Kingston Technology, Mellanox Technologies, Supermicro, Seagate, and Bright Computing.

A team of researchers at Tufts University has scored a $78,000 high-performance computing cluster (HPC), thanks to a grant competition sponsored by HPC integrator Silicon Mechanics. A diverse group at the Medford, MA-based institution is being guided by a Tufts professor whose research focuses on how body parts "form, heal, and regenerate."

The multidisciplinary team will use the new cluster to develop the world’s first "automated platform for the systematic discovery of emergent patterning properties from real biological data." Participants include collaborators from Tufts' biology, computer science, biomedical engineering, and mathematics departments, as well as researchers from the Universidad de Sevilla in Spain.

"The interdisciplinary group will use the cluster to develop a new kind of bioinformatics that integrates functional genetic data into a true systems-level understanding of the remarkable mechanisms that enable living beings to build, control, and dynamically repair their bodies," said Tufts Biology Professor Michael Levin. "Running the simulation environment we envisage requires a very high computational cost, which means the project will greatly benefit by the high-performance computer cluster awarded in this grant."

The computer system was granted as part of Silicon Mechanics' second annual "research cluster grant" competition. Last year's cluster went to Saint Louis University, which is using its system for a number of research areas, including aerospace and mechanical engineering, biology, chemistry, and other disciplines.

The latest cluster includes components from Silicon Mechanics, NVIDIA, AMD, Kingston Technology, Mellanox Technologies, Supermicro, Seagate, and Bright Computing. The system has NVIDIA Tesla M2090 GPUs and AMD Opteron 6300 series processors. In fact, one of the criteria for applications was the importance of CPU and GPU technologies to the research. Other scoring looked at the proposal’s research goals, cross-discipline collaboration, and student access to the equipment.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  •  black graduation cap with a glowing blue AI brain circuit symbol on top

    Report: AI Is a Must for Modern Learners

    A new report from VitalSource identifies a growing demand among learners for AI tools, declaring that "AI isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must."

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    Researchers: AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as organizations adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers suggested that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.

  • illustration of a football stadium with helmet on the left and laptop with ed tech icons on the right

    The 2025 NFL Draft and Ed Tech Selection: A Strategic Parallel

    In the fast-evolving landscape of collegiate football, the NFL, and higher education, one might not immediately draw connections between the 2025 NFL Draft and the selection of proper educational technology for a college campus. However, upon closer examination, both processes share striking similarities: a rigorous assessment of needs, long-term strategic impact, talent or tool evaluation, financial considerations, and adaptability to a dynamic future.

  • young woman using a smartphone, with digital AI and chat icons overlaid in a blurred academic setting

    Duolingo Embraces AI in Push for Scalable Learning

    Learning platform Duolingo has officially declared itself "AI-first," aiming to make learning replicable, scalable, and always available.