Category: Research Computing

UF and Nvidia Co-Hosting Hackathon

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UF and Nvidia, in collaboration with OpenACC, are jointly hosting the UF Hackathon from March 29–April 6, 2022. The deadline for teams to apply is
Feb. 21, with selected teams being notified shortly thereafter.

UFIT’s AI team, along with Nvidia AI staff, will serve as mentors to help teams parallelize and optimize code for GPU acceleration. UFIT is also providing HiPerGator AI as the work platform for the UF Hackathon. Teams from the University of Florida have priority during the application process, but teams from other Florida universities and all SEC universities are also able to apply.

The UF Hackathon is a multi-day, intensive hands-on event designed to help computational scientists and researchers port and optimize their applications using GPUs. It pairs participants with dedicated mentors experienced in GPU programming and development in AI, high performance computing, and data science applications. The event will utilize computing resources from HiPerGator AI, currently ranked as the 2nd most powerful supercomputer in U.S. higher education.

Participating teams will leave the event either with applications running on GPUs or a clear roadmap of next steps to leverage GPUs. Anyone with questions about the UF-Nvidia Hackathon may contact Ms. Ying Zhang, applications specialist and AI team lead for UFIT.

Expansive Research Training Schedule Announced

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More than 30 training sessions are scheduled this spring to aid researchers, students, and lab members of UF’s research community:

Spring 2022 RC Training Schedule

The schedule was developed to support both new and advanced users.  Session topics range from the basics of establishing an account and submitting a job on HiPerGator to utilizing Parabricks, submitting SLURM scripts,  and running graphical applications. There is also training scheduled on using Jupyter Lab and Jupyter Notebooks and for hosting code and collaborating with git/github.com.  Both beginner and intermediate Practicum AI workshops will be offered online.  All UFIT research computing trainings are free.

UFIT can also host group classes for a lab or department, or arrange a 1-on-1 consultation to discuss training needs. Anyone with questions about training to enable HiPerGator use is welcome to contact Dr. Matt Gitzendanner, training team lead for research.

 

 

UF to Lead Southeastern Conference-AI Collaboration

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The Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) universities have launched an artificial intelligence and data science initiative. Through the SEC Artificial Intelligence Consortium, universities will share educational resources, certificate and degree program structures, and online seminars and courses. The 14 member institutions will jointly promote faculty, staff, and student workshops and conferences and seek mutual partnerships with industry. Additionally, the schools will share best practices on how to ensure students graduate with the AI and data science skills needed to prepare them for the global workforce.

The University of Florida is leading this effort and will provide HiPerGator access to SEC schools. Dr. Joseph Glover, UF’s provost and senior VP for academic affairs, is chair of the SEC provosts group. Glover said of higher education leading the AI disruption:

“AI is changing nearly every sector of society, and the SEC is uniquely positioned to engage students, faculty, and staff in one of the most transformational opportunities of our time. The combined strength of our institutions gives us the opportunity to advance in how we process the future of teaching and learning, research and economic development and how we can provide leadership at this critical moment when AI and data science are changing the way we think about small tasks and big questions.”

Visit the SEC Website to read the full AI partnership announcement.

 

 

NVIDIA Workshop for UF: Accelerating Data Science Flows

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UFIT is hosting Accelerated Data Science with RAPIDS, a two-day workshop. The workshop, part of NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Institute (DLI), will be taught in two, four-hour sessions from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on November 15 and 17.

In Accelerated Data Science with RAPIDS, developers will learn to build and execute end-to-end GPU accelerated data science workflows to quickly explore, iterate, and get their work into production. Using the RAPIDS accelerated data science libraries, developers are able to apply a variety of GPU-accelerated machine learning algorithms, including XGBoost, cuGRAPH’s single-source shortest path, and cuML’s KNN, DBSCAN, and logistic regression to perform data analysis at scale. Workshop attendees get access to fully configured, GPU-accelerated servers in the cloud and guidance from a DLI-certified instructor. The workshop has a registration limit of 100, so registering early is strongly recommended. A $10 registration fee covers both sessions. Please contact Ms. Ying Zhang, AI team lead, with any questions about this workshop or other upcoming AI training and events.

The November 2021 AI and NVIDIA training schedule is listed below. Details and registration links are available on https://help.rc.ufl.edu/doc/Training.

Nov. 4: NVIDIA Metropolis
Nov. 9: AI in Matlab at RC
Nov. 15: NVIDIA DLI Workshop Accelerated Data Science with RAPIDS (part one)
Nov. 17: NVIDIA DLI Workshop Accelerated Data Science with RAPIDS (part two)
Nov. 30: NVIDIA CLARA Imaging

Empowering Women in HPC and AI

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Even as artificial intelligence (AI) and high performance computing (HPC) jobs grow, the gender imbalance remains strong. According to a 2020 World Economic Forum report, women fill only 26% of AI positions. To strengthen the engagement of women involved in AI and supercomputing, UF recently launched its chapter of Women in HPC. The WHPC chapter will offer educational opportunities, networking, and foster community across disciplines for female faculty, staff, and students.

To celebrate the chapter launch, UFIT is hosting the first Women in HPC and AI panel on Tuesday, Oct. 5, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. The virtual panel features four distinguished faculty and a senior Medical AI member of NVIDIA:

● Alina Zare, Professor, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
● Jasmine McNealy, Associate Professor, College of Journalism and Communications
● Ragnhildur Bjarnadottir, Assistant Professor, College of Nursing
● Tina Tallon, Assistant Professor, College of the Arts
● Mona Flores, Global Head of Medical AI, NVIDIA

Panelists will discuss their experiences in the field and share career advice. Participants can ask questions during the Q&A session following the panel discussion. This event is free, but registration is required. Everyone in UF’s community is welcome to attend. To become a member of the UF WHPC chapter, please complete the form on the WHPC website and select “University of Florida” on the chapter list.

Attend the Fall 2021 HiPerGator Symposium

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UFIT is excited to announce that Jiang Bian will be the keynote speaker at the Fall 2021 HiPerGator Symposium. Dr. Bian, associate professor and director of Cancer Informatics and UF’s e-Health core, will speak about the collaboration with NVIDIA researchers to create GatorTron™. The Symposium will be held on Thursday, Oct. 21.

Calls for presenters and general event registration is now open.

Begun in 2018, the format of the HiPerGator Symposium has become so popular that two symposia are now scheduled each year. Each symposium features a series of lightning talks from postdoctoral fellows and students who discuss their research using HiPerGator and HiPerGator AI. Their talks immediately follow the keynote presentation, with the poster sessions completing the symposium. The event has proven to be an excellent way to share research and discuss potential future collaborations with fellow attendees.

Anyone with questions about the Fall 2021 HiPerGator Symposium may email Training and Biocomputing Specialist Matt Gitzendanner or AI Applications Specialist Ying Zhang.

Develop Competencies with Practicum AI

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Registration is now open for the first-ever offering of Practicum AI. The program runs Sept. 7 through Nov. 30.

Practicum AI is comprised of hands-on learning experiences designed to teach the coding skills and conceptual AI understanding needed to apply AI methods. The Practicum AI consists of a core set of modules as well as specializations in particular types of AI methods. UFIT is offering the first iteration of Practicum AI face-to-face, with the inaugural participants helping to guide and refine the program for future offerings. Anyone considering applying should note that additional work outside of class time is required to prepare and complete the exercises. For the fall 2021 program, Practicum AI participants are expected to have basic proficiency in Python.

Practicum AI enrollment is limited to 25 participants. The Sept. 7 introductory presentation, held via Zoom, is open to everyone. After the introductory presentation, remaining sessions will be on Zoom as well in person in the UF Informatics Institute seminar room on Tuesdays from 10:40 a.m. to noon. For more information, contact Research Computing Training Team Lead Matt Gitzendanner.

Proposal Support Available for Researchers

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UFIT is committed to doing everything possible to enable the research community. In addition to providing high performance computing consulting, our staff can help make your sponsored funding proposals more competitive with letters and templates related to the computing and infrastructure needs of your project. There are four components that UFIT’s Research Computing staff can assist with:

1. The budget form showing the cost of computing services or hardware acquisition.
2. Some funding agencies require a commitment letter from Research Computing. We will be happy to write a letter for your specific project.
3. A description of the facilities in support of your project is available to include in the proposal’s facilities section.
4. An explicit data management plan (DMP) is required by most funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Research Computing staff are happy to assist you in developing a DMP and its associated budget.

The Research Computing website also has examples of justification text for Hardware Acquisition and Consulting Services. All of the templates and sample text mentioned above are available on https://www.rc.ufl.edu/research/proposal-support/. Please contact Research Computing Director Erik Deumens if you need assistance with your proposal’s computing infrastructure documentation.

Options for Using HiPerGator and HiPerGator AI

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HiPerGator and HiPerGator AI can be used for teaching and research by UF faculty and faculty from Florida’s state universities. Options for using University of Florida supercomputing resources are as follows:

1. For teaching a class, allocations are free and last for one semester.
2. For research, allocations can be purchased for periods ranging from three months to several years. The rates are listed at https://www.rc.ufl.edu/services/rates/.
3. A free three-month trial allocation may also be requested. Trial allocations can be used to develop a course and to explore HiPerGator’s use for research. Interested faculty should complete the trial application form. Upon completion of the trial period, faculty will work with UFIT to find the best way forward for continuing their use of HiPerGator and HiPerGator AI.
4. Colleges and departments can also request a free three-month trial allocation to be shared between faculty in the unit. This option provides access for learning about AI and preparing to include AI in courses at no cost to individual faculty. Details of a basic AI Starter Allocation are available on the https://www.rc.ufl.edu/artificial-intelligence page.

HiPerGator has been successfully operating on the financial model described above since 2013. Financial support is due to significant investment from the Provost and Senior VP for Academic Affairs, the VP for Research, and the Office of the VP and CIO. Anyone with questions about UFIT’s computational resources and support for teaching or research may contact UFIT Research Computing Director Erik Deumens.

Launching UF’s AI Initiative

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On July 21, the University of Florida announced its partnership with NVIDIA, the multi-national technology company that is the world leader in artificial intelligence (AI). This $70 million initiative will enable UF researchers to solve global challenges, provide unprecedented access to the most powerful AI tools, transform how UF educates its students, and help create the workforce for tomorrow.

The opportunities to profoundly impact the world and lead the way in research and discovery will be powered by HiPerGator and the supercomputing environment built and managed by UFIT. Along with recent enhancements to storage and facilities improvements, UFIT will complete the installation of the NVIDIA GPU system (NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD™ architecture) and design and deploy other required components to support the HiPerGator 3.0 go-live scheduled for January, 2021.

More information about this first-of-its-kind partnership for AI in higher education are available via the following resources:

■ https://ai.ufl.edu/
■ UF Press Release
■ NVIDIA Partnership Announcement