HiPerGator 3.0 and HiPerGator AI, the NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, enable scalable artificial intelligence (AI) and high performance data analytics.
Overview
HiPerGator and HiPerGator AI can be used by UF faculty and by faculty at colleges and universities in Florida for teaching and research using these options and procedures:
- For teaching a class, allocations are free and they last one semester. See classroom support for detailed instructions.
- For research, allocations can be purchased for periods ranging from three months to several years. The rates are listed on our price sheets
- A three month trial allocation at no cost may be requested for developing a course in advance of teaching the course and to explore the use of AI for research. File a trial allocation request After the trial ends, please work with UFIT Research Computing staff to find the best way forward for continuing use of HiPerGator and HiPerGator AI.
- To learn about AI and HiPerGator capabilities, colleges and departments can request a free 3-month trial allocation shared between all faculty in the unit to get easy access for learning about AI and preparing to include AI in their courses at no cost to individual faculty. The details of a basic “AI Starter” allocation that will cover a typical large department or small college are given below.
Note that the HiPerGator operation and infrastructure has been operating successfully on this model since 2013 with significant investment from the provost, the VP for research, and the CIO.
Hardware Resources
- HiPerGator AI: Universal System for AI Infrastructure, the largest computer for AI in U.S. higher education.
- Resource allocation opportunities: In addition to purchasing resource allocations, short term complimentary allocations are offered by:
- UF AI Catalyst Fund 2020
- Trial Allocations for first time HiPerGator users.
Software Resources
HiPerGator AI provides a rich and flexible software environment for data analytics and AI workflows, including modern AI frameworks, software libraries and tools, and popular community datasets.
AI Starter Investments
The “AI Starter” package is for one year and costs $2,304. A free 3-month trial option is available for this allocation. It includes:
- 16 CPU cores ($704)
- 4 TB of blue storage ($560)
- 4 GPUs ($1040)
That package will allow faculty with interest to have access to the system, take hands-on training, explore capabilities, and develop material for integration in their courses that use the system.
- The use of the system for teaching is free. Once the course is ready, faculty should contact Research Computing the semester before to set up the course allocation.
- Once faculty know what the system can do for them, they can make appropriate investments for their research groups.
During the first year, we will give out incremental three-month allocations of GPUs at no cost for deeper exploration of the system’s capabilities.
AI Services
NOTE: The early user phase will span February and March and possibly include April. The early user phase will have interruptions for system-wide maintenance and test activities at short notice. However, we think the first year will be a learning phase for everyone where we will learn how to support the system and users will learn how to use it.
- UF AI Initiative
- AI Support: Numerous applications are supported, see https://help.rc.ufl.edu/doc/AI_Support.
- AI Consulting: Provide best practice guidance to get started on HiPerGator AI, conduct AI research in the most efficient way, and in-depth consultation on AI projects.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration: Connect you to the domain experts on UF campus and NVIDIA for advanced research and collaboration.
- AI training and education resources
- NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute
- Instructor led workshops
- AI Courses in Coursera
- UF AI courses