What is the High Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory (HPCVL)?

Scientists analyze weather patterns to predict where the next hurricane will hit.

Economists study the stock market to determine how money is distributed across the world.

Chemists design complex molecules to develop new medicines to help treat diseases.

Psychologists perform experiments to determine how human memory functions.

Engineers explain how blood circulates in artificial hearts.

This kind of research requires the analysis of terabytes of data, as well as intricate mathematical calculations that would take years to perform on even the most sophisticated desktop computer. Using HPCVL, researchers can do it in weeks, days or hours.

HPCVL stands for the High Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory, a cluster of fast and powerful computers at five Ontario universities and two colleges (Carleton University, Queen's University, The Royal Military College of Canada, University of Ottawa, Ryerson University, Seneca College, St. Lawrence College, and Loyalist College).

In addition to reliable, secure computing, HPCVL provides storage resources and support for over 130 Canadian research groups, comprised of over 600 researchers working in a variety of fields. More and more, high-performance computing (HPC) is playing an indispensable role in the cultivation of scientific knowledge and technological development, and this trend will only increase in the future. HPCVL is currently one of Canada's leading secure HPC environments.