Universität zu Köln - HPC Cluster NRW

In continuation of the successful network of excellence, HPC.NRW and the statewide strategy for High Performance Computing and Artificial Intelli-gence, the hpcCluster.NRW System described here amends the existing offers available in the region and at the national level with a general purpose system designed to support users with a general demand for compute resources and in particular for machine learning and artificial intelligence application fields. The system described here is consequently a generalpurpose computing system for universities and universities of applied sciences in the Nord Rhine-Westphalia. The goal is to establish this system permanently by realiz-ing an environment that is designed to be extended every 3-4 years and allowing components of the different steps to be operated as a single system. Besides its performance capabilities, the energy efficiency and flexibility for further extensions are considered as key requirements.

The documents in the procurement file contain technical specifications and guidelines to support the call for proposals addressed to the selected participants. Vendors can offer alternative solutions to meet the requirements with different approaches but must outline the impact on the overall system (e.g. alterna-tive racks with better energy efficiency resulting in a reduced number of nodes). The computer system described in this document is for civil use only and will be used primarily for teaching and research purposes.