High performance computing
Learn how to access high performance computing (HPC) at Griffith and see which option is right for your research.
When to use high performance computing
Consider using high performance computing if:
✔ You are running computations on your local computer and it takes a long time to complete
✔ Your analysis requires large memory or storage
✔ You need specialised technologies such as GPUs or high-speed connections between compute nodes to complete your work
✔ Someone recommended that High Performance Computing may be a better option for you
✔ You have the same calculation to run 100's of times.
Griffith Researchers have access to a number of HPC options, including the locally hosted Gowonda HPC which is free for all researchers and HDR (Higher Degree by Research) students.
There are also national platforms such as NCI (National Computational Infrastructure) and Pawsey that are available through competitive merit-based processes as well as commercial options that can be paid for from project funds.
Getting started with Griffith HPC
Once you've received your Griffith HPC account, you can read through the following guides and workshop material to start. There are also workshops that are held throughout the years that go through these guides. You can also check the Hacky Hour webpage for more information on any upcoming workshop dates.
HPC Workshop Guide HPC user guide
Which HPC service is best for your research?
The Griffith HPC would be a great first choice.
If your application/code is getting too large to run on your computer, then the first point of call is Griffith’s HPC. It is an excellent choice for those that have never used a HPC before.
If you think the Griffith HPC is the choice for you, follow the Getting started with Griffith HPC section above for more information.
QCIF machines are available to researchers across all scientific fields and disciplines but are most commonly used in the areas of engineering, medicine, manufacturing and resource management.
HPC and research support services are available to all QCIF member staff and HDR students. These are designed to enhance research outcomes and productivity in the following areas:
High-speed computation, including the use of high-performance supercomputing system
Visualisation tools that allow scientific, engineering and other data sets to be transformed into 2D/3D visual representations
Programming support for research applications, including code parallelisation and optimisation
Statistics and data modelling.
Australia’s national research computing service, the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), supplies world-class, high-end services to Australia’s researchers. Its primary goals are to raise the ambition, impact, and outcomes of Australian research through access to advanced, computational, and data-intensive methods, support, and high-performance infrastructure.
Information about NCI’s HPC’s are available on the NCI website including specifications of their system hardware and a getting started guide.
If you want to purchase NCI allocation please contact eResearch.
The Pawsey Supercomputing Centre operates multiple supercomputers, data-intensive machines and storage systems that use the most advanced technologies available. The Pawsey Supercomputing Centre supports researchers in Western Australia and across the nation with an array of capabilities encompassing supercomputing, data and visualisation services.
To gain access to the resources of the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, to find out about training or to receive help with an issue, please visit the Pawsey User Support.
If you want to purchase Pawsey allocation please contact eResearch.
Support and guidance
The eResearch team are happy to provide support at any stage of your HPC journey. Topics that we also offer support for but aren't listed on this site include:
Job scheduling and resource allocation advice
Parallel programming support: offering guidance and assistance in optimising code for parallel computing architectures
Windows Virtual Machines and their set-up
Any questions you may have about topics not currently listed
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