Case Study
Implementing HPC for the University of Hull to accelerate research and attract increased investment
Buying High Performance Computing.
The Customer
The University of Hull has a reputation as one of Britain’s finest teaching institutions and as a producer of world class research. In 2014, the University decided it needed a High- Performance Computing (HPC) solution to support its research work, encourage research investment and position the University as a globally-competitive location for researchers.
The Challenge
Without in-house expertise, the University wanted to reduce the risk associated with a considerable financial investment and ensure a future-proof solution to keep pace with the ever-changing environment.
What did Red Oak Consulting do?
Red Oak provided a complete HPC service – advising on and managing the procurement of hardware, software and other HPC services. They helped Hull establish recruitment criteria and supported the interview process, so that Hull brought in the right staff to support the project internally.
The consultancy assisted in the development of operational procedures, the invitation to tender and specification and the HPC acceptance testing.
Hull has now purchased, installed and conducted user acceptance testing of the complete HPC solution. Having anticipated a solution of 1500 CPUs, Red Oak’s work delivered 5500 CPUs, providing a ‘solution plus’ for Hull, and the project came in £130k under budget.
Hull’s HPC solution is the top Tier 3 (University) machine for performance in the North of the UK and top 10 nationally. Within its first month of operation, it ran over 100,000 jobs and provided 1.25 million hours of processing. Hull is now a beacon of success for others looking to implement this type of solution."
Head of Research and Enterprise for ICT
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