MUST’s AI Supercomputing Platform Launched Joining Hands with “ASL Macau”, “NVIDIA” and “Pure Storage” to Build a New Generation of AI Supercomputing Center
18/11/2021
18/11/2021
Last year, the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) built a new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) Supercomputing Center in its campus through the support of the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) of Macau, with an aim of accommodating the needs of high-intensity AI computing of the University. The center has just been officially put into use, marking a milestone for MUST to utilize AI to improve the quality of teaching and research, train talents-to-be, facilitate smart campuses, and inject new impetus into smart cities.
The new supercomputing center was initiated by the Faculty of Information Technology of MUST, in which a famous IT service provider, ASL Macau, has been entrusted to customize a set of high-performance GPU server clusters for the center to meet the application needs of different scenarios of MUST’s AI scientific research operation, which include, smart medical treatment (diagnosis and treatment of early cancer, analysis of cardiac imaging data), smart cities (face recognition and crowd management, analysis of big data for transportation), network security (cloud data security and network intrusion detection), and space and planetary science research, etc. The cluster is mainly built by the AI computing platform of the new generation of DGX series developed by NVIDIA, which provides the technological leadership in AI, and the high-performance full flash data storage system FlashBlade developed by Pure Storage, an advanced storage technology company in the United States of America.
Compared with the existing supercomputing system (HPC) of MUST, the new Supercomputing Center can create better conditions for teaching and research. There are three major upgrades: (1) Strong computing performance: the powerful parallel operation ability of GPU is used to significantly improve the performance of scientific computing such as deep learning and machine learning. Three supercomputers of the DGX series are installed with 32 NVIDIA V100 GPU cards, with a total computing speed of 4 PeTaFLOPS (4x1015), that is, 400 billion floating-point operations per second, improving the computing ability, and speeding up the introduction of simulation models and analysis results; (2) high-efficiency storage: The center is equipped with a large-capacity SSD high-speed flash storage system to support the application of big data analysis, which can stably conduct various AI researches. The current read-write speed is up to 7GB per second or 160k NFS IOPS respectively, and could be strengthened to up to 150GB per second or 24M NFS IOPS when necessary in the future to speed up the analysis of data and optimize the allocation of computing resources; and (3) stability and reliability: all systems are connected with 100GB high-availability network switches. The whole system is equipped with a high-capacity backup power UPS, complete dual-zone air conditioning system, all-weather original direct software support services, and the local front-line support services of ASL Macau to build a stable system, so that the research teams, teachers and students of MUST can focus on academic research and development.
Chair Professor Zhang Du of the Faculty of Information Technology of MUST said that “MUST has been committed to the research and construction of the smart campus in recent years to align with the development of the smart city. With the opening of the new AI Supercomputing Center, the relevant research of AI in MUST can be enhanced and accelerated, which includes machine learning, big data technology, industrial intelligence and automatization, smart city, and other fields. The AI computing platform built in the Center is extremely reliable and scalable, with excellent ability in performance, and it is believed to be the largest AI computing center in Macau.”
The in-depth cooperation between MUST and the IT industry reflects the industry and the university's emphasis on the field of AI, providing key equipment and resources to teachers, students, and R&D personnel. Looking to the future, MUST will continue to maintain long-term partnerships with ASL Macau, NVIDIA, and Pure Storage, strive to cultivate innovative talents for “Smart Macau”, and make joint efforts in industry-university research, in response to the SAR government's initiative of building a smart city initiative and actively achieving better academic research.
The new supercomputing center was initiated by the Faculty of Information Technology of MUST, in which a famous IT service provider, ASL Macau, has been entrusted to customize a set of high-performance GPU server clusters for the center to meet the application needs of different scenarios of MUST’s AI scientific research operation, which include, smart medical treatment (diagnosis and treatment of early cancer, analysis of cardiac imaging data), smart cities (face recognition and crowd management, analysis of big data for transportation), network security (cloud data security and network intrusion detection), and space and planetary science research, etc. The cluster is mainly built by the AI computing platform of the new generation of DGX series developed by NVIDIA, which provides the technological leadership in AI, and the high-performance full flash data storage system FlashBlade developed by Pure Storage, an advanced storage technology company in the United States of America.
Compared with the existing supercomputing system (HPC) of MUST, the new Supercomputing Center can create better conditions for teaching and research. There are three major upgrades: (1) Strong computing performance: the powerful parallel operation ability of GPU is used to significantly improve the performance of scientific computing such as deep learning and machine learning. Three supercomputers of the DGX series are installed with 32 NVIDIA V100 GPU cards, with a total computing speed of 4 PeTaFLOPS (4x1015), that is, 400 billion floating-point operations per second, improving the computing ability, and speeding up the introduction of simulation models and analysis results; (2) high-efficiency storage: The center is equipped with a large-capacity SSD high-speed flash storage system to support the application of big data analysis, which can stably conduct various AI researches. The current read-write speed is up to 7GB per second or 160k NFS IOPS respectively, and could be strengthened to up to 150GB per second or 24M NFS IOPS when necessary in the future to speed up the analysis of data and optimize the allocation of computing resources; and (3) stability and reliability: all systems are connected with 100GB high-availability network switches. The whole system is equipped with a high-capacity backup power UPS, complete dual-zone air conditioning system, all-weather original direct software support services, and the local front-line support services of ASL Macau to build a stable system, so that the research teams, teachers and students of MUST can focus on academic research and development.
Chair Professor Zhang Du of the Faculty of Information Technology of MUST said that “MUST has been committed to the research and construction of the smart campus in recent years to align with the development of the smart city. With the opening of the new AI Supercomputing Center, the relevant research of AI in MUST can be enhanced and accelerated, which includes machine learning, big data technology, industrial intelligence and automatization, smart city, and other fields. The AI computing platform built in the Center is extremely reliable and scalable, with excellent ability in performance, and it is believed to be the largest AI computing center in Macau.”
The in-depth cooperation between MUST and the IT industry reflects the industry and the university's emphasis on the field of AI, providing key equipment and resources to teachers, students, and R&D personnel. Looking to the future, MUST will continue to maintain long-term partnerships with ASL Macau, NVIDIA, and Pure Storage, strive to cultivate innovative talents for “Smart Macau”, and make joint efforts in industry-university research, in response to the SAR government's initiative of building a smart city initiative and actively achieving better academic research.
Introduction to Macao University of Science and Technology
Founded in 2000, the university has developed rapidly and become the largest comprehensive university in Macau. MUST strives to cultivate all kinds of high-quality talents for the society and implements a policy that gives equal emphasis to teaching and research. The university has established two state key laboratories after years of construction, respectively the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines and the State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, as well as several major research institutes and research centers. MUST has always been encouraging teaching and research personnel to publish high-quality research results. In recent years, the number of high-quality research papers published in international SCI/SSCI Q1 academic journals has been on the rise, with that of domestic and foreign invention patents multiplied.
Introduction to CSA Automated (Macau) Limited
CSA Automated (Macau) Limited (“ASL Macau”) is a well-known systems integrator in Macau and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Automated Systems (H.K.) Limited (“ASL Group” or “group”) (HKEx: 771). With more than 45 years of experience in system integration and a rich reputation, it is regarded as a reliable and professional global IT partner. ASL Macau’s business scope ranges from providing computers and related products to system integration, from network and system installation to software and hardware maintenance, from security assessment to 24/7 security monitoring and data management to big data analysis, and from project management to consultation services.
Introduction to NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) invented the GPU in 1999, which not only stimulated the growth of the PC gaming market and redefined computer graphics but also revolutionized parallel operation. Recently, GPU deep learning has given impetus to the development of a new generation of computing technology and modern artificial intelligence. GPU, being capable of accepting and understanding data from the world around them, is now the brains of computers, robots, and self-driving vehicles.
Introduction to Pure Storage
Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) helps modern enterprises properly transform data into strong business advantages. As one of the fastest-growing IT companies in history, Pure enables customers to effectively use data while eliminating the need of managing complex infrastructure to reduce operating costs. Pure has brought an experience of modern data to its customers and seamlessly runs an authentic, automated, and storage-service operation model across cloud platforms. With the certified NPS customer satisfaction score ranking in the top 1% of B2B companies, Pure continues to expand its customer base, making its customers one of the most satisfied customer groups in the world.
Reprinted from MUST：https://www.must.edu.mo/fi/news/33166-article05231207
Founded in 2000, the university has developed rapidly and become the largest comprehensive university in Macau. MUST strives to cultivate all kinds of high-quality talents for the society and implements a policy that gives equal emphasis to teaching and research. The university has established two state key laboratories after years of construction, respectively the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines and the State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, as well as several major research institutes and research centers. MUST has always been encouraging teaching and research personnel to publish high-quality research results. In recent years, the number of high-quality research papers published in international SCI/SSCI Q1 academic journals has been on the rise, with that of domestic and foreign invention patents multiplied.
Introduction to CSA Automated (Macau) Limited
CSA Automated (Macau) Limited (“ASL Macau”) is a well-known systems integrator in Macau and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Automated Systems (H.K.) Limited (“ASL Group” or “group”) (HKEx: 771). With more than 45 years of experience in system integration and a rich reputation, it is regarded as a reliable and professional global IT partner. ASL Macau’s business scope ranges from providing computers and related products to system integration, from network and system installation to software and hardware maintenance, from security assessment to 24/7 security monitoring and data management to big data analysis, and from project management to consultation services.
Introduction to NVIDIA
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) invented the GPU in 1999, which not only stimulated the growth of the PC gaming market and redefined computer graphics but also revolutionized parallel operation. Recently, GPU deep learning has given impetus to the development of a new generation of computing technology and modern artificial intelligence. GPU, being capable of accepting and understanding data from the world around them, is now the brains of computers, robots, and self-driving vehicles.
Introduction to Pure Storage
Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) helps modern enterprises properly transform data into strong business advantages. As one of the fastest-growing IT companies in history, Pure enables customers to effectively use data while eliminating the need of managing complex infrastructure to reduce operating costs. Pure has brought an experience of modern data to its customers and seamlessly runs an authentic, automated, and storage-service operation model across cloud platforms. With the certified NPS customer satisfaction score ranking in the top 1% of B2B companies, Pure continues to expand its customer base, making its customers one of the most satisfied customer groups in the world.
Reprinted from MUST：https://www.must.edu.mo/fi/news/33166-article05231207
Office address: Avenida do Infante D. Henrique, No. 43-53A, Macau Square, 8th Floor, Unit C and 11th Floor, Unit K, Macao (To apply for project funding, please go to 11th Floor, Unit K)
Office hours: Monday to Thursday: 9:00-13:00, 14:30-17:45；Friday: 9:00-13:00, 14:30-17:30；Tel.: 28788777
Copyright(C) 2021 ALL right reserved.
Office hours: Monday to Thursday: 9:00-13:00, 14:30-17:45；Friday: 9:00-13:00, 14:30-17:30；Tel.: 28788777
Copyright(C) 2021 ALL right reserved.