We propose to add 1,400 processor cores to the existing shared computing cluster at California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) at University of California, San Francisco. The upgraded Linux-based cluster of 2,800 processor cores will provide supercomputer class performance at a fraction of the cost. The cluster will be used by at least 23 NIH-funded biomedical researchers and will support at least 84 active and pending NIH grants. Research programs include virtual drug discovery, protein structure modeling, protein folding simulations, integrative structure determination of macromolecular assemblies, structure determination by X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy and electron microscopy, systems biology, processing of Magnetic Resonance Imaging data, analysis of datasets in genomics and pharmacogenomics, and medical informatics. The computer cluster will make it possible to carry out computationally intensive biomedical research not otherwise feasible, and thus significantly increase the rate of scientific discovery in a number of biomedical research disciplines. Institutional support for the cluster will be provided by the California Institute of Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) and consists of space, power, air conditioning, and salary support for a system administrator.
The proposed computer cluster will be used by at least 23 NIH-funded biomedical researchers and will support at least 84 active and pending NIH grants. Research programs span the fields of drug discovery, structural biology, systems biology, genomics, bioimaging, and medical informatics. The computer cluster will make it possible to carry out computationally intensive biomedical research not otherwise feasible.