June 3, 2024: The Government of British Columbia and the Canadian Digital Research Alliance are making an investment of more than $81 million in supercomputers at Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria. SFU will use a combined investment of more than $66 million to renew the infrastructure of its Cedar system, an end-of-life university supercomputer. UVic will use a combined investment of more than $16 million to revamp the cloud infrastructure of its Arbutus system, which British Columbia says is the largest studio cloud in the country.
“Our government is investing in British Columbia’s universities to support a diversity of studies that bring advances to fitness care, such as the generation of new center tracking and synthetic intelligence for personalized cancer treatments, as well as studies that will drive decarbonization pathways and expand British Columbia’s hydrogen sector for a cleaner future,” said Brenda Bailey, British Columbia’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. “Thanks to the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (KBKDF), we continue to invest in the research equipment needed to secure our province’s position as a global leader in innovation and in people’s lives.
The BCKDF, the British Columbia government’s main source of investment in education infrastructure, is providing more than $30 million for the high-performance computing infrastructure of two post-secondary institutions: Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the University of Victoria. ). BC owns two of Canada’s five national supercomputer sites.
“Advanced research informatics is a key tool in the digital research infrastructure strategy,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “Today’s announcement will help ensure that students are better equipped to optimize knowledge from studies to generate statewide information on art, wisdom, and ideas. Canada’s increased HPC capacity will allow it to maintain its excellence in science and studies and remain globally competitive.
This includes more than $24 million to refurbish the infrastructure of SFU’s Cedar formula, one of Canada’s most powerful university supercomputers. Cedar provides complex computing power and garage to drive innovation in studies and collaboration between industry, government, and universities across the country. SFU, one of Canada’s five national host sites, creates a new formula to update the existing formula, which is nearing the end of its useful life. The upgrade will adjust or exceed existing garage capacity and computing performance, benefiting tens of thousands of users. Across Canadá. La Digital Research Alliance of Canada is contributing approximately $41 million to SFU’s Cedar supercomputer.
Cedar is helping Mirza Faisal Beg, a professor of engineering sciences at SFU, capture photographs of the human body and organ measurements much faster than traditional methods, which could help redefine cancer therapy. Given each patient’s specific body composition, a personalized treatment plan can be created. Adapting to the disease and individual characteristics can lead to better fitness results while minimizing unwanted side effects.
UVic, also one of Canada’s five national host sites, won up to a maximum of $6,141,900 through the BCKDF to revamp the Arbutus system’s cloud network infrastructure, the country’s largest studio cloud. Arbutus has revolutionized the process, percentage, and mass buying of Canadian scientists. datasets. With processing speeds thousands of times faster than those of a desktop computer, it is the cornerstone of more than 1,000 study groups across Canada. The Digital Research Alliance of Canada is contributing more than $10 million to the University of Victoria’s Arbutus supercomputer.
Arbutus’ use of synthetic intelligence and device learning to analyze and visualize complex 3D brain images is helping to explain the reasons for the brain’s drastic replacement of immune cells and how it affects cognitive function. The world-renowned studies of Marie-Ève Tremblay of the University of Victoria is leading to a greater understanding of learning, memory, behaviour and cognition.
High-performance computers are capable of processing gigantic amounts of data, synthetic intelligence, and complex formula models in almost every technology-related industry. The use of those supercomputers is helping the economy by spurring innovation and supporting startups, leading to potential commercial ventures. By investing in high-performance computers in Cedar and Arbutus, the province is ensuring that British Columbia can gain advantages from their performance. It continues to attract and retain the most productive academics, researchers, and students.
The BCKDF contributes to the expansion of the economy by improving British Columbia’s productivity and competitiveness, which is a key objective of Clean and Competitive: A Blueprint for British Columbia’s Industrial Future. Other benefits come with prospective commercialization, spin-offs, patents, increased environmental stewardship, and discoveries that directly affect the health and well-being of British Columbians.
Dating:
Lisa Beare, British Columbia’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills –
“This is a vital investment for B. C. ‘s universities, academics and staff of tomorrow. This generation’s existing and long-term programs in critical spaces such as physical care and climate replacement are limited only by the brilliant minds conducting cutting-edge studies. in the province. The collaborative integration of artificial intelligence and science will facilitate interdisciplinary study between academia, industry, and government, resulting in a better, stronger, and even more economically sustainable British Columbia for British Columbians.
Katrina Chen, Member of Parliament for Burnaby-Lougheed –
“SFU is one of the most productive schools in the province equipping British Columbia students. Equipped with the knowledge, skills, and reports that will prepare them for the jobs of today and tomorrow. This investment in Cedar will continue to help our province. a leader in the Lower Mainland, throughout the province and globally. “
George Ross, executive director of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada.
“Data is a critical national asset, critical to our country’s creation of wisdom, economic growth, and social impact. We are pleased to join forces with the Government of British Columbia and the world-class study computer science groups at Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria to empower students in Canada. ” This significant investment in our national IT infrastructure demonstrates the Government of Canada’s commitment to clinical excellence and strengthening Canada’s position as a leader in the wisdom-based global economy.
Joy Johnson, SFU President and Vice Chancellor —
“For years, SFU’s Cedar supercomputer has enabled Canadian researchers to address disorders in spaces ranging from personalized medicine for better patient care to green technologies to combat climate change. These generous investments from the Digital Research Alliance of Canada and the Province of British Columbia will help us continue to make a difference for British Columbia, Canada and the rest of the world through the use of complex computing power. ” I can’t wait to see the inventions and discoveries that await us.
Lisa Kalynchuk, Vice President of Research and Innovation, UVic —
“Cloud computing accelerates studies and streamlines collaboration between countries and continents. UVic’s Arbutus Cloud helps more than 1,000 study groups across Canada in their search for new wisdom that affects our daily lives. “The science and studies implemented uncover our health, our homes, and our understanding of the universe, from unlocking the secrets of the brain to understanding the cosmos and shaping responses for a healthier, more sustainable future. “
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