HPC Resources
The HPC center provides hardware, software, and staff resources to support research and instruction at NC State. There is no charge for using these resources.
Hardware
Hazel Linux cluster
The Hazel cluster is a heterogeneous cluster that includes state-of-the-art CPUs, GPUs, and networking architecture while maintaining older resources as long as feasible. The cluster consists of x86-64 processors (Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC) in dual-socket servers, some with attached GPUs.
- On the order of 400 compute nodes with over 14,000 cores
- Majority of nodes connected with InfiniBand
- Several nodes with attached GPUs including A100, H100, H200, L40S, and other models
- Most nodes have more than 128 GB of memory; standard configuration is 512 GB with some 1024 GB nodes
See Compute Resources for full details on available hardware, partitions, and scheduling.
Cluster status monitoring
Real-time availability of resources can be monitored on the cluster status pages:
Storage
Storage is provided at no cost to all HPC accounts:
- Home directory (/home) — 1 GB per account for source code, scripts, and small executables
- Scratch space (/share) — 20 TB per project for running applications and working with large data
- Application storage (/usr/local/usrapps) — 100 GB per project by request, backed-up space for installing larger applications and conda environments
See Storage for details on directory locations, size limits, and backup policies.
Partner Program
If existing compute resources are inadequate for the needs of a project, there is an opportunity to purchase additional compute nodes or storage under the HPC Partner Program.
Software
Officially supported applications
HPC staff maintain a core set of commonly used applications including commercial, open-source, and community-supported packages. These are available to all users via the module system.
- Full list of available software
- General guidance for installing software
- Setting the compute environment
- Creating custom modules
User-installed software
Users can install their own software in their project directories under /usr/local/usrapps. HPC staff will assist with installation questions, but users are asked to first consult the documentation and make efforts to do installs themselves when feasible.
Conda and containers
Conda is available for managing Python environments and installing packages. Apptainer (formerly Singularity) is provided for running containerized applications, which helps with reproducibility and ease of deployment.
Staff
HPC has a team of computational scientists responsible for maintaining the cluster, supporting users, and helping researchers run their applications effectively.
Consulting
HPC staff are available for consultations to help with:
- Getting started on the cluster
- Optimizing job scripts and resource requests
- Porting and scaling applications
- Software installation and environment setup
- Troubleshooting job failures and performance issues
Contact HPC to schedule a consultation.
Training
HPC staff provide training workshops and resources for users at all levels:
- Introductory course on using the Hazel cluster
- Quick Start Tutorial for self-paced learning
- User Forums covering topics of interest to the HPC community
- Group-specific training available on request
Documentation
Extensive documentation is available covering all aspects of using the HPC cluster, from connecting to running parallel jobs. See Getting Started for a full index.
Faculty Oversight
The HPC Faculty Oversight Committee advises on matters related to the HPC service, including acceptable use policy, resource allocation, and strategic planning.