Press Releases

Compute Canada has launched its annual Resource Allocation Competitions (RAC), a peer-reviewed process to grant priority access to Compute Canada’s advanced research computing resources. The two competitions -- the Resources for Research Groups (RRG) Competition and the Research Platforms and Portals (RPP) Competition -- are open to Canadian research projects from all disciplines (Note: RPP applications are by invitation from its Notice of Intent (NOI) stage). The allocations of compute and storage resources are awarded based on scientific merit, quality of the research team, and development of highly-qualified personnel (HQP).

“While many research groups can meet their needs through our Rapid Access Service (RAS), our Resource Allocation Competitions (RAC) are aimed at individuals and research groups who require compute and storage resources beyond what RAS provides,” says Dugan O’Neil, Compute Canada Chief Science Officer. “Compute Canada’s resources are behind many of today’s scientific milestones -- from measuring gravitational waves in space to breaking new ground in artificial intelligence -- and our RAC process helps ensure Canada’s top researchers have access to the resources they need to continue producing excellent science and world-class results.”

Further details on the 2017 Resource Allocation Competitions will be shared in two Q&A Sessions:

For more information on the 2017 RAC, visit the Resource Allocation Competitions page on the Compute Canada website or contact rac@computecanada.ca. More info

Compute Canada is launching an exciting new data visualization challenge this fall called Visualize This. Participants will visualize an Earth Sciences dataset covering the world’s oceans. The dataset will be available for download from the Compute Canada website from October 1-31, with submissions due by midnight Eastern time on October 31.

Participants from all science fields are encouraged to enter. Submissions will be reviewed by the Compute Canada visualization team. Points will be awarded for:

• interactive visualizations
• animations
• visualizing the 3D nature of the data
• online presentation, and
• clear innovative display of multiple variables

Prizes include high-capacity SSD drives or up to $1,000 towards registration and travel to HPCS 2017, Canada’s premier Advanced Research Computing (ARC) conference, hosted by Queen’s University in Kingston, ON (June 5-9, 2017). The top visualizations will also be showcased on the Compute Canada website and in Compute Canada’s booth at Supercomputing 2016 in Salt Lake City in November.

Want to participate in the “Visualize This” challenge? The first step is to indicate your interest here. Shortly before October 1, all registrants will be emailed a link to the competition dataset and the connection details for a Q&A Session on September 27. If you have any questions, please contact viz-challenge@computecanada.ca.

Each fall, through its annual Resource Allocation Competitions, Compute Canada hosts a Call for Proposals process for allocations of compute or storage resources. The 2017 Competitions kicked off on September 1st as Compute Canada launched the first stage of its Research Platforms and Portals (RPP) Competition, targeted specifically at applications that create new or support existing research platforms or portals.

Groups are encouraged to consider applying to the RPP Competition if their submission falls within any of the following categories:

• Resources requested on behalf of a large community of users that will be reallocated to individuals and small groups following the award.
• Applications that provide a public platform that will make use of Compute Canada computing or storage.
• Groups engaging in international agreements to provide multi-year computing or storage solutions based in Canada.
• Groups that are providing shared data sets accessible using a third party (non-Compute Canada) interface.

Allocations in the RPP Competition may be awarded over multiple years, up to a maximum of three years.

More Information:
For more information on the RPP Competition and other resource competitions for 2017, please visit Compute Canada’s Resource Allocation Competitions page. If you have questions about whether your resource needs fit within the RPP Competition, please contact rac@computecanada.ca.

Read the conversation with Mark Daley, Compute Ontario’s Chair of the Board of Directors and upcoming diTHINK speaker, where he discusses the May 26th joint conference between Compute Ontario and ORION. More

Nizar Ladak, Compute Ontario’s new President & CEO, discusses the importance of advanced computing. This is the first of an ongoing monthly series.

“I’ve always been fascinated by technology and its potential to “boldly go where no man has gone before.” Whether as a Trekkie growing up or, almost 30 years later, in a leadership role at a world-changing organization, it has long been clear to me that technology is redefining our world.

Though health care has been my focus, technology has been the through line of my career. Each position I’ve held over the years has had a strong information or technology component, because I see technology as a lever for change.

These are exciting times for advanced computing. Information is being generated from every imaginable activity and comes at us constantly from all corners of the earth. As a result, our ability to ask and answer questions has taken a giant leap forward." More