Making Sense of Cyberinfrastructure

By Jan Zverina, San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California, San Diego

August 17, 2015

 

Reference Architectures Can Help Make Sense – and Science – Out of Computing Cyberinfrastructure, NSF’s Jim Kurose Tells XSEDE15 Attendees

Cyberinfrastructure. If there’s one word that’s likely to create confusion both within the scientific research community and among the public at large, this may be it. Yet the concept of cyberinfrastructure is at the very core of the nation’s top scientific research priorities, and the National Science Foundation is firmly committed to continuing to make cyberinfrastructure resources available to researchers across the nation.

While the term often comes with what Jim Kurose, assistant director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE), describes as “confusing” terminology – even to researchers across science and engineering disciplines – he says there is no doubt to the benefits of cyberinfrastructure as both an integrated resource and means for today’s researchers to push forward the boundaries of their disciplines.

“We have an Administration that’s been really big on pushing national research priorities that have a lot to do with computing,” Kurose told attendees at the 2015 eXtreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) conference in St. Louis, Mo., in late July. “We have the big data initiative, the national robotics initiative, and the BRAIN initiative… all with cyberinfrastructure playing a critical role. There’s also secure cyberspace, education, and workforce development. These are things where computing and cyberinfrastructure are centrally involved.”

Kurose_Image
Jim Kurose, assistant director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE)

The NSF defines cyberinfrastructure as a dynamic ecosystem consisting of advanced computing systems, data, software – and, most importantly, people – all linked by high-speed networks that allow researchers to innovate and make discoveries that may not otherwise be possible. Kurose, who began his current role at NSF in early 2015, sees the need for the Foundation to view cyberinfrastructure in its entirety as not only the pathway to scientific discovery, but as helping to drive the national economy and global competitiveness in key areas, such as advanced manufacturing, visualization, drug discovery, and personalized medicine.

“Clearly, we’ve moved and evolved from being really ‘big iron-focused’ to also worrying about data, networking, and also security and software,” Kurose told XSEDE attendees. “There is the notion of this important interplay between industry, federal government, and academia in the area of computing as well as cyberinfrastructure.”

Such collaborative cyberinfrastructure is already transforming research frontiers, Kurose said, citing examples such as EarthCube, the Research Data Alliance, and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) project.

Rolling Their Own

The challenge, according to Kurose, is to create ways for scientists to leverage cyberinfrastructure resources that already exist, and one solution lies in what he calls reference architectures or models.

“Reference models are really all about talking to other people about what you’re doing so they can see their place in the larger picture of what you’re doing.” he said. Otherwise, he noted, cyberinfrastructure can just be confusing to some researchers as well as decision-makers inside and outside the research community.

“The notion of reference architectures… is a way for us to accelerate the science by letting the scientists understand where they can fit into this larger picture, where they’re going to have to do some work on their own, and where they can reuse things that others before them have done,” Kurose said, adding later that “I see this as a very bottom-up process.”

“We at the National Science Foundation should think about these reference architectures, what we are doing across the Foundation, and what cyberinfrastructure exists out there so that folks who want to use cyberinfrastructure don’t roll their own,” he said. “While some specialization may be needed, they should know what’s already available to them so they can leverage the work that communities such as XSEDE have already done.”

Kurose praised the XSEDE organization, the result of a five-year, $121-million project  supported by the NSF, for its work in advancing science by promoting cyberinfrastructure through various programs including education, outreach, and training.

“What XSEDE is accomplishing is really remarkable, and its ecosystem is unparalleled,” Kurose said. “The goal here is about making cyberinfrastructure available to the science community, and XSEDE is a community event for people in the trenches and doing the work, including the Campus Champions and students.”

Kurose also noted that while demand among researchers for XSEDE resources and expertise has been increasing, the distribution of the type of demand is changing as well, including areas such as social, behavioral, and economic sciences, which has seen exponential growth in the use of cyberinfrastructure as a means for accomplishing research. “This is all a measure of the success of the type of cyberinfrastructure that you folks are making available to the country.”

In discussing future challenges across CISE and NSF, Kurose said that sustainability is a constant subject of discussion.

“We are discussing this on a daily basis,” he said. “This is sustainability having to do with people, software, and hardware. They all have different sustainability lifecycles and we need to be thinking seriously about what’s the right timeframe to be making investments in order to provide that kind of stability, while at the same time allowing for change and allowing for innovation.”

Related Links:

National Science Foundation

NSF CISE

Jim Kurose

Subscribe to HPCwire's Weekly Update!

Be the most informed person in the room! Stay ahead of the tech trends with industry updates delivered to you every week!

Nvidia’s New Blackwell GPU Can Train AI Models with Trillions of Parameters

March 18, 2024

Nvidia's latest and fastest GPU, code-named Blackwell, is here and will underpin the company's AI plans this year. The chip offers performance improvements from its predecessors, including the red-hot H100 and A100 GPUs. Read more…

Nvidia Showcases Quantum Cloud, Expanding Quantum Portfolio at GTC24

March 18, 2024

Nvidia’s barrage of quantum news at GTC24 this week includes new products, signature collaborations, and a new Nvidia Quantum Cloud for quantum developers. While Nvidia may not spring to mind when thinking of the quant Read more…

2024 Winter Classic: Meet the HPE Mentors

March 18, 2024

The latest installment of the 2024 Winter Classic Studio Update Show features our interview with the HPE mentor team who introduced our student teams to the joys (and potential sorrows) of the HPL (LINPACK) and accompany Read more…

Houston We Have a Solution: Addressing the HPC and Tech Talent Gap

March 15, 2024

Generations of Houstonian teachers, counselors, and parents have either worked in the aerospace industry or know people who do - the prospect of entering the field was normalized for boys in 1969 when the Apollo 11 missi Read more…

Apple Buys DarwinAI Deepening its AI Push According to Report

March 14, 2024

Apple has purchased Canadian AI startup DarwinAI according to a Bloomberg report today. Apparently the deal was done early this year but still hasn’t been publicly announced according to the report. Apple is preparing Read more…

Survey of Rapid Training Methods for Neural Networks

March 14, 2024

Artificial neural networks are computing systems with interconnected layers that process and learn from data. During training, neural networks utilize optimization algorithms to iteratively refine their parameters until Read more…

Nvidia’s New Blackwell GPU Can Train AI Models with Trillions of Parameters

March 18, 2024

Nvidia's latest and fastest GPU, code-named Blackwell, is here and will underpin the company's AI plans this year. The chip offers performance improvements from Read more…

Nvidia Showcases Quantum Cloud, Expanding Quantum Portfolio at GTC24

March 18, 2024

Nvidia’s barrage of quantum news at GTC24 this week includes new products, signature collaborations, and a new Nvidia Quantum Cloud for quantum developers. Wh Read more…

Houston We Have a Solution: Addressing the HPC and Tech Talent Gap

March 15, 2024

Generations of Houstonian teachers, counselors, and parents have either worked in the aerospace industry or know people who do - the prospect of entering the fi Read more…

Survey of Rapid Training Methods for Neural Networks

March 14, 2024

Artificial neural networks are computing systems with interconnected layers that process and learn from data. During training, neural networks utilize optimizat Read more…

PASQAL Issues Roadmap to 10,000 Qubits in 2026 and Fault Tolerance in 2028

March 13, 2024

Paris-based PASQAL, a developer of neutral atom-based quantum computers, yesterday issued a roadmap for delivering systems with 10,000 physical qubits in 2026 a Read more…

India Is an AI Powerhouse Waiting to Happen, but Challenges Await

March 12, 2024

The Indian government is pushing full speed ahead to make the country an attractive technology base, especially in the hot fields of AI and semiconductors, but Read more…

Charles Tahan Exits National Quantum Coordination Office

March 12, 2024

(March 1, 2024) My first official day at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) was June 15, 2020, during the depths of the COVID-19 loc Read more…

AI Bias In the Spotlight On International Women’s Day

March 11, 2024

What impact does AI bias have on women and girls? What can people do to increase female participation in the AI field? These are some of the questions the tech Read more…

Alibaba Shuts Down its Quantum Computing Effort

November 30, 2023

In case you missed it, China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba has shut down its quantum computing research effort. It’s not entirely clear what drove the change. Read more…

Nvidia H100: Are 550,000 GPUs Enough for This Year?

August 17, 2023

The GPU Squeeze continues to place a premium on Nvidia H100 GPUs. In a recent Financial Times article, Nvidia reports that it expects to ship 550,000 of its lat Read more…

Analyst Panel Says Take the Quantum Computing Plunge Now…

November 27, 2023

Should you start exploring quantum computing? Yes, said a panel of analysts convened at Tabor Communications HPC and AI on Wall Street conference earlier this y Read more…

Shutterstock 1285747942

AMD’s Horsepower-packed MI300X GPU Beats Nvidia’s Upcoming H200

December 7, 2023

AMD and Nvidia are locked in an AI performance battle – much like the gaming GPU performance clash the companies have waged for decades. AMD has claimed it Read more…

DoD Takes a Long View of Quantum Computing

December 19, 2023

Given the large sums tied to expensive weapon systems – think $100-million-plus per F-35 fighter – it’s easy to forget the U.S. Department of Defense is a Read more…

Synopsys Eats Ansys: Does HPC Get Indigestion?

February 8, 2024

Recently, it was announced that Synopsys is buying HPC tool developer Ansys. Started in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1970 as Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (SASI) by John Swanson (and eventually renamed), Ansys serves the CAE (Computer Aided Engineering)/multiphysics engineering simulation market. Read more…

Intel’s Server and PC Chip Development Will Blur After 2025

January 15, 2024

Intel's dealing with much more than chip rivals breathing down its neck; it is simultaneously integrating a bevy of new technologies such as chiplets, artificia Read more…

Baidu Exits Quantum, Closely Following Alibaba’s Earlier Move

January 5, 2024

Reuters reported this week that Baidu, China’s giant e-commerce and services provider, is exiting the quantum computing development arena. Reuters reported � Read more…

Leading Solution Providers

Contributors

Choosing the Right GPU for LLM Inference and Training

December 11, 2023

Accelerating the training and inference processes of deep learning models is crucial for unleashing their true potential and NVIDIA GPUs have emerged as a game- Read more…

Training of 1-Trillion Parameter Scientific AI Begins

November 13, 2023

A US national lab has started training a massive AI brain that could ultimately become the must-have computing resource for scientific researchers. Argonne N Read more…

Shutterstock 1179408610

Google Addresses the Mysteries of Its Hypercomputer 

December 28, 2023

When Google launched its Hypercomputer earlier this month (December 2023), the first reaction was, "Say what?" It turns out that the Hypercomputer is Google's t Read more…

Comparing NVIDIA A100 and NVIDIA L40S: Which GPU is Ideal for AI and Graphics-Intensive Workloads?

October 30, 2023

With long lead times for the NVIDIA H100 and A100 GPUs, many organizations are looking at the new NVIDIA L40S GPU, which it’s a new GPU optimized for AI and g Read more…

AMD MI3000A

How AMD May Get Across the CUDA Moat

October 5, 2023

When discussing GenAI, the term "GPU" almost always enters the conversation and the topic often moves toward performance and access. Interestingly, the word "GPU" is assumed to mean "Nvidia" products. (As an aside, the popular Nvidia hardware used in GenAI are not technically... Read more…

Shutterstock 1606064203

Meta’s Zuckerberg Puts Its AI Future in the Hands of 600,000 GPUs

January 25, 2024

In under two minutes, Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, laid out the company's AI plans, which included a plan to build an artificial intelligence system with the eq Read more…

Google Introduces ‘Hypercomputer’ to Its AI Infrastructure

December 11, 2023

Google ran out of monikers to describe its new AI system released on December 7. Supercomputer perhaps wasn't an apt description, so it settled on Hypercomputer Read more…

China Is All In on a RISC-V Future

January 8, 2024

The state of RISC-V in China was discussed in a recent report released by the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The report, entitled "E Read more…

  • arrow
  • Click Here for More Headlines
  • arrow
HPCwire