A computational cluster is a system of a many computers arranged in an efficient architecture, according to Michael Zwick, associate professor of human genetics and scientific director of the Emory Integrated Genomics Core. The TARDIS cluster will be located at Georgia Tech in the Rich Computer Center, but will be accessible from any lab on the Emory network, according to the press release.
“The goal is to allow rapid analysis of large research and clinical applications that cannot be accomplished on a standard desktop computer,” Zwick said.
Dieter Jaeger, professor of biology and chair of the Executive Committee for High Performance Computing at Emory, said the current cluster system, which they have named Ellipse, was reaching the end of its life expectancy and the service contracts for it were running out.
Zwick said the new servers will drastically decrease the time and money spent conducting large-scale experiments.
“On the new server, we have a 60-fold increase in speed,” Zwick said. “We will be a significant user of the new cluster and our computational services will be taking advantage of this exciting new capability.”
Zwick said that the need for faster analysis spurred the new cluster.
“The ability to perform very large DNA and RNA sequencing experiments is now possible and being pursued by many researchers at Emory,” Zwick said.
The ability to analyze and make sense of data gathered is now the critical challenge facing Emory researchers and clinicians, Zwick said.
According to Jaeger, the bulk of the research that relies on this cluster includes genome research, computational neuroscience and image analysis.
Jaeger said that while those key groups are the primary users of the new cluster, the available processing power and storage space leaves room for countless other research purposes.
“There are researchers from all over the University using this for faster, better research, so this is definitely an initiative that fully benefits all of Emory,” Jaeger said.
The cluster shares its name with the TARDIS time machine in the science fiction series “Doctor Who,” according to the press release.
Jaeger said users of the system voted on the name, and TARDIS was the most popular and seemed appropriate.
“The fictional TARDIS is known for housing a large interior within a small exterior space, and the Emory computing cluster follows suit, taking up a single cabinet instead of 20,” Jaeger said.
Georgia Tech is also responsible for the system administration, maintenance and general upkeep of the cluster, Jaeger said.
–By Stephen Fowler
Stephen Fowler 16C is the political reporter at Georgia Public Broadcasting, the statewide NPR affiliate in Georgia. He graduated from Emory with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and covered the central administration and Greek Life for the Wheel before serving as assistant news editor, Emory Life editor and the Executive Digital Editor from 2015-16.
