University of Florida Invests in Supercomputer Upgrade for AI, Research -- Campus Technology

Artificial Intelligence

University of Florida Invests in Supercomputer Upgrade for AI, Research

By Rhea Kelly
12/16/24

The University of Florida has announced plans to upgrade its HiPerGator supercomputer with new equipment from Nvidia. The $24 million investment will fuel the institution's leadership in AI and research, according to a news announcement.

The existing HiPerGator AI supercomputer, an NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with DGX A100 systems, remains the fastest of its kind of higher education, the university said. It will be replaced by the new NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with 63 NVIDIA DGX B200 systems, including the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform and the NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking platform, boasting 400 Gb/s bandwidth for each GPU.

HiPerGator is used every semester in courses throughout UF and the State University System of Florida, as well as in research projects led by more than 6,000 researchers, the university said. It also powers Navigator AI, a UF-developed tool that provides generative AI capabilities for students, faculty, and staff.

Examples of specific HiPerGator projects include:

Building a "digital twin" of the UF Health Cancer Center for training medical staff;
A flooding simulation to help Jacksonville city management and emergency teams make accurate pre-storm evacuation plans and coordinate post-storm rescues; and
An AI tool to track and manage financial markets.

All current HiPerGator AI projects will ultimately be switched over to the new supercomputer, the university said, with an initial stop on the NVIDIA DGX Cloud to keep them running while the new system is being built. The new supercomputer is expected to be ready for early users in June and then open to all UF constituents by Fall 2025.

"The University of Florida has been a pioneer in providing AI infrastructure to its students and making that infrastructure available across its curriculum and throughout the region," said Nvidia co-founder and UF alumnus Chris Malachowsky, in a statement. "With this new HiPerGator NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with DGX B200 systems, UF will provide students and faculty with an exquisite tool to supercharge AI research, discovery, and innovation across many disciplines — helping train the next generation of AI leaders."

"Upgrading our new supercomputer, HiPerGator, will reinforce our leadership in artificial intelligence and significantly enhance our faculty and students' teaching, learning, and research capabilities," commented Elias G. Eldayrie, vice president and chief information officer at UF. "This represents a monumental step forward in our commitment to fostering innovation and discovery across all disciplines. It is truly great to be a Florida Gator."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at rkelly@1105media.com.

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