Supercomputing-Academy: HPC-Cluster - Design, Cost, and Sustainability

In the module HPC Clusters - Setup & Operation, you gained insights into the key hardware and software components of HPC clusters, as well as the technical aspects of integrating them into an organization. Building on that foundation, HPC Clusters – Design, Costs & Sustainability introduces operational models, including "on-premise" and cloud solutions, while examining their advantages, disadvantages, and cost structures.

You will first explore operational models for HPC clusters, comparing the benefits, drawbacks, and cost structures of on-premises and cloud solutions. Next, the course focuses on designing an HPC cluster. Using specific requirements—such as software usage frequency, duration, and benchmarks—you will determine the necessary number and performance specifications of critical cluster components like processors, memory, and networking.

For your proposed cluster, you will calculate both investment and operational costs and evaluate various potential solutions. The course also covers essential business management concepts, such as investment evaluation, cost accounting, and decision-making theory neccessary to select the most suitable offer for an HPC cluster.

Recognizing the increasing importance of sustainability and climate change, this module focuses on integrating sustainable practices into HPC operations. You will learn to develop and implement sustainability strategies and gain knowledge of key environmental certifications, including EMAS, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, and the “Blue Angel for Energy-Efficient Data Center Operation.”

Veranstaltungsort

Flexible online course: Combination of self-study and live seminars (HLRS Supercomputing Academy)
Organizer: HLRS, University of Stuttgart, Germany

Veranstaltungsbeginn

03. Feb 2025

Verstaltungsende

07. Mär 2025

Sprache

Deutsch

Einstiegslevel

Basis

Themenbereiche

HPC-Cluster: Nutzung und Betrieb

Domain-spezifische Kurse

Supercomputing-Akademie

Themen

Administration HPC-Cluster

Green IT & Nachhaltigkeit

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Prerequisites and content levels

Prerequisites
  • Basic knowledge of processors, memory, networking, and their interactions within HPC clusters.
  • Familiarity with software, libraries, operating systems, batch systems, and licensing relevant to HPC environments.
  • Proficiency in working with working on complex Excel or Calc spreadsheets.
Content levels
  • Beginners: 24 hours
  • Intermediate: 16 hours
  • Advanced: 10 hours

Learn more about course curricula and content levels.

Target audience

This course is intended for, but is not limited to, the following groups:

  • Data center staff planning to take over or set up a new HPC cluster.
  • HPC users involved in the design and procurement of HPC clusters.
  • Administrative and management personnel seeking to understand the structure, costs, and cost models of HPC clusters.
  • Anyone interested in the design, procurement, and operation of HPC clusters
  • Anyone interested in sustainability in data centers and the HPC domain

Learning outcomes

After completing this course, participants will:

  • Gain essential business administration knowledge to evaluate offers and make purchasing decisions for HPC clusters.
  • Understand the economic and legal implications of on-premises and cloud operational models.
  • Learn to design HPC clusters based on specific requirements and calculate investment and operational costs.
  • Incorporate sustainability principles into decision-making processes effectively.

Instructor

Dr. Norbert Conrad (HLRS) norbert.conrad(at)hlrs.de

Agenda

  • Week 1: Cost Accounting, Decision Theory, Investments
  • Week 2: Operational Models, Benchmarks, Licenses, and License Servers
  • Week 3: Cluster Design
  • Week 4: Sustainability, Data Center Sustainability, Sustainable Procurement, End-of-Life Management
  • Week 5: Management Systems (EMAS, ISO Standards), Blue Angel Certification, Change Management

Registration-information

Register via the button at the top of this page.
We encourage you to register to the waiting list if the course is full. Places might become available.

Registration closes on January 24, 2025.

Fees

  • Students without master’s degree or equivalent: 52,5 Euro
  • PhD students or employees at a German university or public research institute: 127,5 Euro
  • PhD students or employees at a university or public research institute in an EU, EU-associated or PRACE country other than Germany: 255 Euro
  • PhD students or employees at a university or public research institute outside of EU, EU-associated or PRACE countries: 510 Euro
  • Other participants, e.g., from industry, other public service providers, or government: 1410 Euro

Link to the EU and EU-associated (Horizon Europe), and PRACE countries.

HLRS concept for flexible learning

Flexible Learning

This course offers flexible learning, allowing you to learn at your own pace and access online course materials and cluster resources. Web-seminars are held weekly to discuss the learning modules and to answer your questions. We also provide forum channels that enable you to communicate with the lecturer and peers, as well as to share your experiences.

Learning Duration

The course is divided into multiple learning units of 10 hours each. Participants can learn the individual learning content on their own schedule. In addition, this course has fixed dates for virtual seminars and the exam.

Certificate & Attendance Confirmation

High-Performance Computing Center (HLRS) issues participants an attendance confirmation if they have attended all seminars, as well as a certificate if they have passed the exam at the end of the course.

Technical Requirement
  • Stable Internet connection so you can access and download the learning materials.
  • Access to video conferencing tool with camera and microphone for participation in regular seminars.

Contact

Junghwa Lee, phone 0711 685 87228, training(at)hlrs.de

HLRS Training Collaborations in HPC

HLRS is part of the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS), together with JSC in Jülich and LRZ in Garching near Munich. EuroCC@GCS is the German National Competence Centre (NCC) for High-Performance Computing. HLRS is also a member of the Baden-Württemberg initiative bwHPC.

Further courses

See the training overview and the Supercomputing Academy pages.