Project Details
Projekt
High-performance Computer
Term
Funded in 2026
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 576008252
The hpcFachCluster.nrw Aachen is a HPC System in Aachen that ensures Tier-3 HPC and AI provision for universities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia based on the DH.NRW state concept HPC 2025. A total of eight universities from North Rhine-Westphalia are involved in this subject-specific Tier 3 HPC system at RWTH Aachen University: Siegen University, Bonn University, Wuppertal University, Ruhr University Bochum, Duisburg-Essen University, Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, and Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences. NRW has a versatile and powerful ecosystem for supplying universities with HPC and AI resources at all levels of the HPC supply pyramid. The Landeskonzept HPC 2025 (state-wide HPC concept) reorganizes Tier 3 provision by replacing decentralized local data centers with shared Tier-3 systems. Four such systems are to be established by 2027, including locations in Cologne (hpcBasisCluster.nrw) for general basic provision and Paderborn and Aachen (hpcFachCluster.nrw), whose clusters, as outlined in the current applications, will be used exclusively for research at the participating universities. The hpcFachCluster.nrw in Aachen is primarily focused on engineering and artificial intelligence, while the Paderborn cluster serves physics and chemistry as well as artificial intelligence. These specializations leverage existing expertise at the National High Performance Computing Centers (NHR) in Paderborn and Aachen and ensure permeability to the Tier-2 level. A needs assessment carried out in the first quarter of 2025 showed that demand exceeds the budgetary framework by 25%, which is why adjustments were made to ensure optimal technical and functional allocation within the budget. The requested HPC system (CLAIX-2027) will be procured together with additional components and operated in an integrated manner according to the 1-cluster concept. This concept ensures identical interfaces for users across the entire cluster, regardless of the individual expansion stages or architectures. The costs for the HPC system "Tier-3 hpcFach Cluster.nrw in Aachen" (CLAIX-2027 Tier-3) amount to EUR 7.5 millions. The participating universities will bear the operating costs.
DFG Programme
Major Research Instrumentation
Major Instrumentation
Hochleistungsrechner
Instrumentation Group
7040 Vektorrechner
Applicant Institution
Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
