The University of Nevada, Reno has announced a high-performance computing cluster to support research in fields including artificial intelligence, robotics and neurosciences.

The new cluster, known as Pronghorn, will be 30 times as powerful as the University’s existing system. It has been enabled by funding from the University as well as the State of Nevada, along with a donation from biomedical researcher and University supporter Mick Hitchcock and support from local data center giant Switch. Valued at more than $3.4 million, it will use network and communications hardware from Dell EMC. 

pronghorn thinkstock photos bgsmith 522599985
The pronghorn, or American antelope – Thinkstock / bgsmith

Hosted in Tahoe

The Pronghorn cluster is named after the American antelope - the fastest mammal on the continent. It will be located in Switch’s Tahoe Reno “Citadel” campus, where Switch support will cover technology support, space, power and security for five years. The state support will come through the Knowledge Fund facilitated by the Governor’s Office for Economic Development and awarded to the Nevada Center for Applied Research (NCAR). 

“High-performance computing is critical for modern research and scientific discovery,” University President Marc Johnson said, adding the resource would help enable industry partnerships. 

“We are again seeing individuals, organizations and industry pull together to enhance the capabilities of the University, our faculty and students, and our region’s economy.”

the citadel campus rendering
Switch’s Citadel campus (rendering) – Switch

Pronghorn should be available for testing by the end of 2017 and fully in use in January 2018. “Increasing our computational and modeling capability will allow faculty to better exchange, analyze and store data, and more effectively collaborate at an international level,”said University vice president for research and innovation Mridul Gautam.

Industry access to Pronghorn will be coordinated through the university’s NCAR, the applied research and development technology center through customized, fee-for-service contracts. 

Irrelevant footnote:  The pronghorn, or American antelope is not in fact a true antelope, but looks virtually the same as true antelopes, thanks to parallel evolution. It is the last surviving member of the antilocapridae of the Pleistocene period - its relatives capromeryx, stockoceros and tetrameryx went extinct after the arrival of humans in North America.

Pronghorn is also the name of a band from Dorset, UK whose cowpunk music can be enjoyed here.