Penn Advanced Research Computing Center (PARCC)
University of Pennsylvania · United States
Flexential and the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Advanced Research Computing Center (PARCC) launched a phased deployment of an NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with DGX B200 systems and NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking, housed at Flexential's Philadelphia-Collegeville, Pennsylvania colocation data center, to support the university's next-generation research computing infrastructure. AHEAD, a longtime provider of enterprise IT services for Penn, handled off-site rack integration and on-site cabling.
Overview
Flexential and the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Advanced Research Computing Center (PARCC) launched a phased deployment of an NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with DGX B200 systems and NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking, housed at Flexential's Philadelphia-Collegeville, Pennsylvania colocation data center, to support the university's next-generation research computing infrastructure. AHEAD, a longtime provider of enterprise IT services for Penn, handled off-site rack integration and on-site cabling.
The challenge
PARCC needed a partner that could offer capacity and operational maturity to manage a high-performance research computing deployment on an aggressive timeline, providing researchers with powerful, scalable infrastructure to support the university's expanding data and AI needs.
The solution
Flexential and Penn's PARCC launched a phased deployment of an NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with DGX B200 systems and NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking, housed at Flexential's Collegeville, Pennsylvania colocation data center. NVIDIA Mission Control ensures streamlined workflows, agility and infrastructure resilience, enabling PARCC to serve all 12 of Penn's schools. AHEAD handled off-site rack integration and on-site cabling, delivering pre-configured racks built around the NVIDIA DGX B200 systems fully populated to minimize on-site setup time.
Reported business value
Phase I of PARCC's deployment doubles Penn's processing capacity, offering general high-performance computing capabilities for most users and a condo option for faculty who prefer to manage their own hardware. The deployment positions Penn at the forefront of AI research among Ivy League institutions and enables researchers to pursue AI advancements across healthcare, science, business and society.
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