Message from GRID POINT Project Principal Investigator
Welcome to the inauguration of HKU's new grid point!
A grid point is a node in a large computing grid which in this case is the China National Grid (CNGrid). CNGrid comprises 11 supercomputing nodes belonging to 11 specially selected institutions in China. HKU is the only one outside of the Mainland that has been given the privilege. Our supercomputer connected to the grid is the new Gideon II cluster which we are unveiling in this special occasion today. Gideon II will be open to all HKU researchers, and because of HKU's status in CNGrid, HKU researchers may also access other nodes in the large grid for additional resources and support.
Our approaches to solving problems in the past tend to be theoretical and analytical, but today many believe that computational approaches will be the answer to many of the grand challenge problems and the hardest unsolved problems in many different fields. A superfast computer is therefore a must for the university. And a top university does need a top tool in order to achieve the top results.
We are thankful to the University Grant Committee for providing a large portion of the fund needed to acquire the Gideon II machine, and to HKU's senior management for their matching support. The selection, acquisition, and construction of the machine, and the setting up of its supporting environment turned out to be a highly non-trivial undertaking. We are indebted to many of the staff and volunteers in Information Technology Services and the Department of Computer Science, who have generously offered their help and expertise as we progressed through these various stages.
We wish that the addition of this new cluster will make HKU a better place to do high-quality research.
Francis Lau
Principal Investigator
