The University of Nebraska has deployed Nvidia-powered GPU infrastructure at the Holland Computing Center (HCC) in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Dubbed PLUMAGE (Promoting Learning Using Mixed Advanced GPU Environments), the infrastructure was acquired with a $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Comprised of six Nvidia H200 GPUs and 52 Nvidia L40S GPUs, the university said the hardware will strengthen HCC’s position as Nebraska’s “premier academic supercomputing resource,” distinguishing it nationally by linking local cluster resources with cyberinfrastructure networks across the US via dual access pathways.

The new deployment will help NU researchers keep pace with the explosion of AI and other data-intensive research, the university added.

Researchers will be able to access the infrastructure via Swan, HCC’s compute cluster, which uses a scheduler-based batch system, or through the National Research Platform, which uses Kubernetes to manage workloads across the cluster.

“One reason NSF funded this project is that it’s a novel idea. The design of PLUMAGE bridges our local computing environment and the broader national cyberinfrastructure, which is critical because modern research increasingly depends on a connected ecosystem,” said Hongfeng Yu, HCC director and professor of computing.

Adam Caprez, principal investigator and associate director of research development and engagement at HCC, added: “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.

“I know people can be intimidated when using a supercomputer, but the Holland Computing Center is more than just hardware. It’s also the personnel, expertise, and a whole package that’s available to help researchers and enable usage. We’re happy to meet with people, learn about their research, and provide any needed assistance so they can make effective use of the resources to accelerate their research.”

NU researchers can now access PLUMAGE at no cost, while access for interested parties outside the NU system can be arranged.