McGill was awarded $38.7 million in October to increase the electrical capacity of the McGill University/Calcul Québec data centre and to install a new supercomputer at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS).
Named after the Rorqual whale, the high-performance computing cluster (HPC) will meet the growing needs of more than 20,000 researchers across Canada working in disciplines as varied as computational genomics, neuroscience, artificial intelligence and machine learning, materials science, bioinformatics, climate science and digital humanities.
Rorqual will replace the earlier-generation Béluga, which had been one of the most powerful computers dedicated exclusively to academic research in Canada. Also housed at ÉTS, due to that school’s robust electrical network, Rorqual will exceed Béluga’s current storage capacity and performance.
Funding high performance
Government officials and researchers from several collaborating institutions gathered at ÉTS on Oct. 18 to make significant new funding announcements. The Digital Research Alliance of Canada invested $19,350,000, which was matched by the Quebec Ministry of the Economy, Innovation and Energy (Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie).
“Our investments across the country will significantly increase computing capacity – at least doubling the current national capacity. As part of this investment, Rorqual’s increased performance has the potential to fuel discovery and research and accelerate AI innovation across disciplines,” said George Ross, CEO of the Government of Canada-funded Digital Research Alliance of Canada.
Christopher Skeete, Quebec Minister for the Economy, Minister Responsible for the Fight Against Racism and Minister Responsible for the Laval Region, announced a matching investment of $19,350,000. He highlighted McGill’s collaboration with Calcul Québec, a non-profit organization, made up of universities and research centres, that offers advanced research computing services to the wider innovation community.
“McGill University and Calcul Québec will be able to boost their compute capacity and help meet the growing needs of our researchers. This will usher in more innovative projects, generate direct spin-offs for the economy, and support key sectors – a further step towards a Quebec that stands out worldwide for its capacity to innovate,” said Skeete.
Rachel Bendayan, Member of Parliament for Outremont, attended on behalf of François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada.
“Strong digital research infrastructure provides Canada’s researchers with the tools and services they need to turn big data into scientific breakthroughs,” she told the audience.
The research impact for McGill
McGill’s Vice-President of Research and Innovation, Dominique Bérubé, spoke about some of the applications that have been facilitated by the older technology and will benefit from the improvements brought by the new. She also spoke about the importance of collaborations fostered through the data centre.
“This cluster has been a catalyst for innovation and has enabled high-impact digital research in Quebec and across Canada, including McGill-led projects to develop AI-guided disease treatment strategies and advanced climate simulations,” said Bérubé.
“Our university is a key player in the dynamic digital research ecosystem in Quebec. However, we can only reach our collective objectives through the collaboration with all partners in pursuit of the great discoveries on the horizon.”