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High Performance Computing (HPC)

Kingston University's High Performance Computing (HPC) facility enables more complex computation than ever before as the memory-intensive simulations take a fraction of the time it would take a standard computer. This means that students and staff can obtain simulation results much faster with an HPC - work that could have taken months can now be done in days or even hours.

Whether it is research and work from undergraduate and postgraduate students, or the research from Kingston University's academic and technical teams, obtaining quick results is hugely beneficial.

Students can also analyse their results for longer periods of time. Processing speed is important in many types of research work undertaken at the University, such as dissertations, group projects, PhD research, or research from our academic and technical teams which gets published in high impact journals.

How do our students and staff use the HPC?

At Kingston University, the HPC is used in simulation and design work in many diverse academic areas. Examples in the engineering field include computational fluid dynamics (CFD) where the HPC is able to perform complex calculations on the interaction of liquids and gases; non-linear analysis of damage mechanisms; large stress and strain in metallic and composite structures; or finite element analysis, a problem-solving method used in engineering and mathematical physics. The HPC is also used in the fields of geography and geology, with research into climate change, the changes in the use of land or large-scale modelling of species distribution.

Ada Lovelace inspiration

Kingston University's HPC has been named after Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician and writer, known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, The Analytical Engine. Ada Lovelace was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation and, as a result, is regarded as the first to recognise the full potential of a ‘computing machine' and one of the first computer programmers. The HPC specifications are impressive and beneficial to our students and staff, with 768 CPU Cores, 6TB of Memory and 480GbE of network bandwidth.

Accessing the HPC

The HPC has a web portal, accessible from anywhere in the world, so there will be no need to be at the University to access the HPC; users will be able to get their results from their favourite coffee shops or airport lounges as long as you are connected to the internet.

If you need help and advice on any of Kingston University's IT systems please contact the IT Service Desk.

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