A powerful new suite of hardware will enhance University of Nebraska researchers’ ability to conduct cutting-edge science, particularly work involving artificial intelligence and machine learning.
With a nearly $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the Holland Computing Center recently deployed PLUMAGE, a flexible graphics processing unit-based cyberinfrastructure that will benefit researchers across the disciplinary spectrum, from computer scientists and engineers to scholars in business, architecture, the social sciences and more.
PLUMAGE — which stands for Promoting Learning Using Mixed Advanced GPU Environments — adds to Holland's already comprehensive suite of computing and storage resources, expanding a cyberinfrastructure system that researchers across the university system have relied on for years. The new deployment will help NU researchers keep pace with the explosion of AI and other data-intensive research by providing cutting-edge GPUs, which are the specialized computer chips that process vast numbers of calculations in parallel.
“All of these new AI and machine learning services depend on GPU technology to be able to do the work in an efficient manner, otherwise it would take hundreds or thousands of years to generate a model,” said Adam Caprez, principal investigator and associate director of research development and engagement at HCC.
Though supercomputing is traditionally tied to areas like computer science, physics, chemistry and bioinformatics, it’s now gaining traction in every field, creating a need for additional cyberinfrastructure.
“There are disciplines that had very few computing needs before — maybe they just did everything on their desktop — and now, all of a sudden, they are finding that they need these huge resources to do things with AI, creating a land rush,” Caprez said. “It’s very important to have resources like PLUMAGE, but also the personnel and expertise to help people use them. Holland has this complete ecosystem.”
