# Deploying a Top-100 Supercomputer for Large Parallel Workloads: the Niagara Supercomputer

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.13600 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1907.13600/

## Key facts

- Cited by 6 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 31 Jul 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Bayesian optimization with known experimental and design constraints for chemistry applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.17241/) (2022)
- [Calibration and generalizability of probabilistic models on low-data chemical datasets with DIONYSUS](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.01574/) (2022)
- [Using Diffusion Models to Generate Synthetic Labelled Data for Medical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.16794/) (2023)
- [Learning quantum dynamics with latent neural ODEs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.10721/) (2021)
- [Gemini: Dynamic Bias Correction for Autonomous Experimentation and Molecular Simulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.03391/) (2021)
- [Determination of Trace Organic Contaminant Concentration via Machine Classification of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectra](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.00197/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Niagara is currently the fastest supercomputer accessible to academics in Canada. It was deployed at the beginning of 2018 and has been serving the research community ever since. This homogeneous 60,000-core cluster, owned by the University of Toronto and operated by SciNet, was intended to enable large parallel jobs and has a measured performance of 3.02 petaflops, debuting at #53 in the June 2018 TOP500 list. It was designed to optimize throughput of a range of scientific codes running at scale, energy efficiency, and network and storage performance and capacity. It replaced two systems that SciNet operated for over 8 years, the Tightly Coupled System (TCS) and the General Purpose Cluster (GPC). In this paper we describe the transition process from these two systems, the procurement and deployment processes, as well as the unique features that make Niagara a one-of-a-kind machine in Canada.