HPC.NDS (High-Performance Computing for Niedersachsen Digital Science) is a project within the framework of Hochschule.digital Niedersachsen (HdN) that provides high-performance computing systems and comprehensive consulting services for universities in Lower Saxony. Through six locations – the computing/consulting centers in Göttingen, Braunschweig and Hannover as well as the consulting centers in Clausthal, Oldenburg and Osnabrück – powerful CPU and GPU nodes and specialized consulting services are offered through so-called Science Support Teams. The operation of the computing resources is coordinated by the GWDG in Göttingen, while the consulting network Lower Saxony Digital Science Support Space (DS³) is led by TU Braunschweig. HPC.NDS closes existing gaps in the supply of HPC resources at the local level and offers scientists easy access to modern computing technology without complex application procedures, supplemented by comprehensive support and training.

Services from HPC.NDS can be used by university members, scientific institutions and universities in Lower Saxony. Interested universities can request shares of HPC.NDS capacities from the operator centers. These shares can be distributed between the computing centers to optimally meet specific technical requirements of local users – such as certain GPU generations, memory configurations or special accelerator hardware – and to ensure sensible load distribution between the locations. Access is designed to be particularly low-threshold to enable beginners to easily start using HPC resources, while already productive workloads benefit from the additional capacities.

Participation in HPC.NDS is free for universities in terms of investment and personnel costs – these are fully covered by the HPC.NDS project. Only the operating costs, primarily energy costs, must be covered by the participating universities. Billing takes place over a period of initially five years via a monthly flat rate, which is conservatively estimated at 75% of the theoretically maximum possible consumption. At the end of the year, a final settlement is made based on actual consumption, thereby minimizing the risk of additional payments. To enable better cost control, universities are informed monthly about actual consumption and the resulting costs based on current electricity prices, allowing usage adjustments to be made if necessary.

Complex registration is not required to use HPC.NDS services. The concept provides for a simple, low-threshold usage process. Interested users should contact their university to utilize HPC.NDS capacities. Access to the HPC resources is just as easy to use as local computing resources – unlike national Tier-1 or Tier-2 systems, no lengthy application procedures are necessary. Details on the specific usage process are still being developed and will be communicated at a later date.

When you click ‘Contact us’, a contact form will be displayed through which interested parties can submit their inquiries to HPC.NDS. This form is still under development and will likely contain fields for contact details, desired services, time frames, and specific technical requirements. After submitting the form, the requests will be processed and interested parties will receive feedback on the next steps, including possible discussions with contact persons for detailed setup of the usage. The specific process is still being finalized and will be available soon.

As an HPC.NDS customer, you primarily need to focus on using the resources for your scientific projects – the majority of administrative and technical effort is handled by the operator centers. Operation of the infrastructure, installation and updates of systems as well as provision of system software and current development tools are ensured by the operator centers. Additionally, you receive comprehensive support for technical problems as well as consulting on development and application of HPC-suitable scientific software, with a focus on Research Software Engineering (RSE). The time effort is therefore essentially limited to the actual use of the systems for your research projects, while all infrastructure and ongoing care aspects are professionally managed.