Gauss Call for Large-Scale HPC Projects

[LRZ aktuell]

Large-scale projects and highly scalable parallel applications are
 characterised by large computing time requirements, not only for short
 time frames, but often for longer time periods. Projects are classified
 as "Large-Scale", if they require more than 2% of the potentially
 available core cycles for GCS in one year on a member centre's high-end
 system, i.e.
 
   * more than 36 Mill. core-hours at JSC (IBM Blue Gene/Q),
   * more than 20 Mill. core-hours at LRZ (IBM iDataPlex),
   * more than 16 Mill. core-hours at HLRS (HERMIT Step 1).
 
 For these large-scale projects a competitive review and resource
 allocation process is established by the GCS. Requests for resources
 below these limits will be accepted by the individual member centres.
 Requests above these limits will be handed over to GCS, handled
 according to the joint procedures, and will be reviewed in a national
 context.
 
 A "Call for Large-Scale Projects" is published by the Gauss Centre
 twice a year. Dates for closure of calls are usually at the end of
 winter and at the end of summer of each year.
 
 Eligible are applications from German universities and publicly funded
 German research institutions, e.g., Max-Planck Society, and Helmholtz
 Association.
 
 see also: Current call as PDF (http://www.gauss-centre.eu/datapool/page
 /71/GaussCall8.pdf)
 
 Deadline
 
 Large-scale projects (20 Mill. core hours or more for SuperMUC) are
 peer-reviewed by a committee of the GCS.
 
 The deadline for the next application is 31 August 2012, 17:00.
 
 Answering the Call
 
 Leading, ground-breaking projects should deal with complex, demanding,
 innovative simulations that would not be possible without the GCS
 infrastructure, and which can benefit from the exceptional resources
 provided by GCS.
 
 Application for a large-scale project should be performed by filling in
 the appropriate electronic application form that can be accessed from
 the GCS web page "Computing Time" (http://www.gauss-centre.eu/
 computing-time)
 
 Note that the regular application forms of the GCS member centres can
 be reached from there, and users are required to choose a centre that
 provides the architecture and software most appropriate for their
 programs.
 
 The proposals for large-scale projects will be first reviewed with
 respect to their technical feasibility. Afterwards, they will be
 peer-reviewed for a comparative scientific evaluation. On the basis of
 this evaluation by a GCS committee the projects will be approved for a
 period of one year and given their allocations.
 
 A project with a running large-scale grant on one of the centres or
 targeting multiple GCS platforms must clearly indicate and justify this
 as part of the application.
 
 Criteria for decision
 
 Applications for compute resources are evaluated only according to
 their scientific excellence.
 
   * The proposed scientific tasks must be scientifically challenging,
     and their treatment must be of substantial interest.
   * Clear scientific goals and verifiable milestones on the way to
     reach these goals must be specified.
   * The implementation of the project must be technically feasible on
     the available computing systems, and must be in reasonable
     proportion to the performance characteristics of these systems.
   * The Principal Investigator must have a proven scientific record,
     and she/he must be able to successfully accomplish the proposed
     tasks. In particular, applicants must possess the necessary
     specialized know-how for the effective use of high-end computing
     systems. This has to be proven in the application for compute
     resources, e.g. by presenting work done on smaller computing
     system, scaling studies etc.
   * The specific features of the high-end computers should be optimally
     exploited by the program implementations. This will be checked
     regularly during the course of the project
 
 Application for Large-Scale Projects for the LRZ at GCS Supercomputer
 SuperMUC
 
 The GCS Large-Scale call is open for project leaders, whose affiliation
 is in Germany (or is a foreign office of a German institution).
 Interested researchers from abroad (within Europe) are invited to apply
 via http://www.prace-ri.eu/hpc-access.
 
 Project applications for SuperMUC may be submitted by any scientist
 qualified in his or her respective field of research. Computing
 resources are allocated on the basis of independent referees' reports.
 Apart from the scientific relevance of the project, an important
 criterion for the allocation of computing resources is that the project
 can make efficient use of the computer and use a large number of
 processors in parallel for the simulations.
 
 For technical information on SuperMUC, see http://www.lrz.de/services/
 compute/supermuc/
 
 Please, first prepare a detailed project description that you will have
 to upload to the electronic questionnaire as a pdf file. Follow the 
 guidelines (https://www.gauss-centre.eu/computing-time/supermuc/
 guidelines) about form, content and size of the project description.
 Take particular care that
 
   * the estimate of the applied computing time is verifiable by the
     reviewer,
   * a plot is supplied that shows the scalability of the program under
     realistic production conditions, and that
   * you provide information on computing projects and applications for
     computing time you have with other supercomputing centres.
 
 If you wish to add supplemental material to the project description
 (unpublished manuscripts etc.), please collect that in a second
 pdf-file. Also this file you will have to upload to the electronic
 questionnaire.
 
 Please fill in the electronic questionnnaire completely and attach the
 project description and - if necessary - the supplemental material as
 pdf files.
 
   * Electronic questionnaire (https://pound.zam.kfa-juelich.de/
     lrz_projekt/) (open 23 July - 31 August 2012, 17:00)
   * Show, change, print electronic questionnaire (https://
     pound.zam.kfa-juelich.de/lrz_prodis/)
 
 Please make sure that your data are complete and check them. Finally,
 please print the application form and send a signed paper copy to :
 
 GCS Large-Scale Projects
 c/o NIC Coordination office
 Juelich Supercomputing Centre
 Forschungszentrum Juelich
 52425 Juelich
 Germany
 


 This information is also available on our web server
 http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/services/compute/hlrb/aktuell/ali4366/

 Matthias Brehm