CQUniversity Australia in Brisbane has implemented a new high performance computing (HPC) system to help it store and process big data for healthcare and environmental projects. The SGI Rackable infrastructure includes 500 processor cores, 4 terabytes of memory and 300 terabytes of disk storage. According to CQUniversity Australia’s senior research technologies officer, Jason Bell, demand for HPC is expected to increase due to projects run by the Centre for Intelligent and Networked Systems and the Centre for Railway Engineering. One of the projects which will utilise HPC is called HEFRAIL. This looks at the effects of grass cover and erosion on the embankments beside railway tracks in central Queensland. “As a consequence of erosion there is an increase in maintenance costs, risks of outages and derailments, interruptions of normal train operations and environmental degradation,” Bell said in a statement. “By analysing and modelling rainfall-runoff-erosion data gathered from the experimental site, it has been established that 60 per cent grass cover on railway embankment slopes reduces erosion by over 90 per cent.” According to the university, research has enabled development of conservation strategies, including drip irrigation modelling and design, to combat the effects of erosion. Online storage supports ASKAP, MWA projects Macquarie Telecom to host Intersect supercomputer Sydney Uni seeks HPC energy cost reduction with new algorithims The acquisition of the system was funded by the Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation and the CQUniversity Research Office and Information Technology Directorate. SGI has also worked with the Australian National University and provided a 10 petabyte data storage system. Follow Hamish Barwick on Twitter: @HamishBarwick Follow CIO Australia on Twitter and Like us on Facebook… Twitter: @CIO_Australia, Facebook: CIO Australia, or take part in the CIO conversation on LinkedIn: CIO Australia Related content brandpost Sponsored by Palo Alto Networks Operational technology systems require a robust Zero Trust strategy in 2024 Zero Trust provides a foundation for creating a stronger security posture in 2024. By Navneet Singh, vice president of marketing, network security, Palo Alto Networks Dec 05, 2023 6 mins Security brandpost Sponsored by AWS in collaboration with IBM How digital twin technology is changing complex industrial processes forever As the use cases for digital twins proliferate, it is becoming clear that data-driven enterprises with a track record of innovation stand the best chance of success. By Laura McEwan Dec 05, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by AWS in collaboration with IBM Why modernising applications needs to be a ‘must’ for businesses seeking growth Around one-third of enterprises are spending heavily on application modernisation and aiming for cloud native status. The implications for corporate culture, structure and priorities will be profound. By Laura McEwan Dec 05, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation opinion 11 ways to reduce your IT costs now Reorienting IT’s budget toward future opportunities is a big reason why CIOs should review their IT portfolios with an eye toward curbing unnecessary spending and realizing maximum value from every IT investment. By Stephanie Overby Dec 05, 2023 11 mins Budget Cloud Management IT Governance Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe