This project, enabling, enhancing, and supporting high performance parallel computer graphics based research and education, aims at providing researchers and academic institutions access to parallel computer graphics and visualization technology. Visualizaton Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) clusters (VGCs) will be purchased and placed at the Institute for Scientific Research (ISR), Alderson Broaddus College (A-B College), and at West Virginia University (WVU). The VGCs tightly coupled GPUs will allow investigation of algorithms that could not be implemented efficiently in prior systems. As high-speed networking made cluster computing practical, the bandwidth to the GPUs will make cluster visualization practical. Due to slow networking speeds, and even slower display buffer read-backs, prior clusters were forces to operate as a collection of poorly connected PCs. However, the VGC, with its fast GPU-to-GPU connectivity, will be able to operate as a single, integrated entity for performing graphics- and GPU-oriented operations. The acquisition of the VGC will allow the investigation of new visualization and analysis techniques: ultra-high resolution visualizations, image processing of extremely high-resolution video streams, image based reconstruction of complex real-world scenes through multiple video cameras, and the use of GPUs in-the-large to perform scientific calculations and simulations. The VGC provides the high-speed communication required between GPUs. Currently, there are no available systems that scale-up both screen and depth resolution at a reasonable price-performance ratio. Building a VGC can demonstrate that non-specialized commodity, multi-purpose hardware can replace expensive, single-task hardware while offering more functionality and flexibility.
Broader Impact: VGCs will be readily available at three institutions to service students, researchers, educators, and small businesses in West Virginia, an EPSCoR state with relatively poor high-technology infrastructure. An organization without access to significant funds or funding sources will be able to learn from this system and software design, and will be able to build its own VGC machine.
