USGS Supercomputers & Research
High Performance Computing is a rapidly changing field which requires constant research. At any given time ARC is researching multiple new technologies and methodologies in order to create increasingly efficient and user-friendly workflows, and to provide the computing power necessary for the wide array of scientific computing workloads within the USGS.
![Computer server racks](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/side_image/public/media/images/Denail%20image.jpg?itok=ZwvajLz2)
Need more computing power?
We provide USGS scientists with access to high-performance computing (HPC) resources.
There are three on-premises USGS supercomputers housed in Sioux Falls, SD:
- Denali is the flagship USGS supercomputer for large-scale models.
- Tallgrass is a prototype system designed for artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads.
- Hovenweep is our newest supercomputer and replaces Yeti as the workhorse USGS supercomputer for general-purpose HPC workloads.
For more information or to get started using Denali, Tallgrass, or Hovenweep, contact us at hpc@usgs.gov.
Current Research Initiatives
Accelerator Technologies: Accelerator use has become a standard in modern supercomputing. How can GPUs or other coprocessors be used to benefit scientific research?
Machine Learning: Over the past few years machine learning and deep learning methodologies have taken off and been successful in a variety disciplines, but how can these techniques benefit USGS science?
Emerging Processor Technologies and Software Ecosystems: As new technologies become available, what are the cost savings vs. productivity trade-offs for scientific use cases?
High Performance Data Analytics (HPDA): How can ARC take advantage of the confluence of HPC and Big Data analytics?
Data Management: How can we streamline data management workflows for HPC research? What are the best practices for data movement (transfer) and storage?
Containers: Can containers be used to package entire scientific workflows, software and libraries, and even data? How will they affect reproducibility and portability?
USGS Supercomputers
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USGS Hovenweep Supercomputer
Hovenweep is a USGS on-premises supercomputer housed at the EROS Datacenter in Sioux Falls, SD. It is the newest system in our research computing portfolio and is a Cray machine built using the HPE Apollo 2000 Gen 10 platform.
Hovenweep has replaced Yeti and serves as the workhorse supercomputer for general-purpose HPC workloads.
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USGS Denali Supercomputer
Denali is one of the USGS's supercomputers installed and housed at the EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
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USGS Tallgrass Supercomputer
Tallgrass is a Cray Urika-CS prototype system designed for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and analytics workloads. Tallgrass is equipped with both the hardware and software to address modern AI, deep learning and machine learning demands.