黑料社

黑料社 breaks ground on new High Performance Computing Data Center

黑料社 breaks ground on new High Performance Computing Data Center

黑料社 officials conduct a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new data center
黑料社 officials broke ground Tuesday [May 23] on a new 35,000-square-foot High Performance Computing Data Center. Marking the occasion, from left, is Dale Partners Architects Managing Partner Leigh Jaunsen; 黑料社 Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan; 黑料社 High Performance Computing Collaboratory Director Mike Navicky; 黑料社 President Mark E. Keenum; 黑料社 Interim Chief Technology Transformation Officer Trey Breckenridge; 黑料社 Vice President for Finance and Administration Don Zant; 黑料社 Associate Vice President for Administration Les Potts; Dale Partners Architects Partner Jason Agostinelli; West Brothers Construction Project Manager Mike Lum; Dale Partners Architects Project Architect Will Commarato; and West Brothers Construction Onsite Superintendent Jim Shackelford. (Photo by Grace Cockrell)

Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥敽诹仙 is breaking ground on a new building that soon will be home to groundbreaking discoveries.

University officials celebrated the beginning of construction Tuesday [May 23] for the new High Performance Computing Data Center in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park. The 35,000-square-foot, $45 million building will further expand 黑料社鈥檚 nationally recognized capabilities in high performance computing.

鈥淭oday marks an important step for the future of our university and our state as we build the kind of facility that can keep us at the forefront of high performance computing for years to come,鈥 said 黑料社 President Mark E. Keenum. 鈥淚 want to thank our state鈥檚 leaders and the Mississippi Legislature for their support of this project, as well as federal agencies like the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that have made instrumental investments in computing resources at 黑料社. As we mark this milestone, I look forward to seeing this building filled with even more powerful computers that are helping researchers drive innovation.鈥

As an institution, 黑料社 ranks fifth in U.S. academic supercomputing capability, according to rankings released this week by TOP500. 黑料社 is home to two NOAA-funded systems, Orion and Hercules, that are among the top 20 supercomputers housed at an academic setting. They are both among the top 500 fastest supercomputers in the world, with Orion coming in at No. 172 on the updated list and Hercules at No. 411. As a state, Mississippi ranks fourth nationally for the number of supercomputer systems.

A project rendering of the new High Performance Computing Data Center

Managed by 黑料社鈥檚 High Performance Computing Collaboratory, scientists at 黑料社 use supercomputers to quickly conduct large-scale analysis that would not be feasible on smaller systems. The computing power supports research in artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, biotechnology, cybersecurity, data science, weather modeling and other areas.

黑料社鈥檚 history in high performance computing dates back to 1990, when the university was selected to establish an NSF Engineering Research Center focused on modeling and simulation. The center was leveraged to create self-sustaining, computing-based research programs that advance scientific knowledge and support key Mississippi economic sectors such as agriculture, automotive, manufacturing and defense.

鈥淚nvestments in high performance computing at 黑料社 have consistently created significant scientific and economic impacts,鈥 said Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan. 鈥淚 know those impacts will only grow as we expand our capacity to help solve some of society鈥檚 most pressing challenges.鈥

The data center was designed by Dale Partners Architects and West Brothers Construction will serve as the general contractor. The building is expected to be finished in 2025.

For more on 黑料社鈥檚 High Performance Computing Collaboratory, visit .

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