ARCCA to Launch Falcon

Cardiff University's Advanced Research Computing service (ARCCA) is pleased to announce the forthcoming launch of its new High Performance Computing (HPC) system, “Falcon”. Set to replace the existing “Hawk” cluster, Falcon will be commissioned in Spring 2025, with full production to follow shortly thereafter.

Falcon is being supplied by a BIOS IT-led consortium following an extensive procurement process conducted between August and December 2024. In addition to enhanced computing capabilities, the proposal includes several "Value Add" opportunities designed to promote the capabilities of Cardiff University’s research community.

Powered by leading-edge Supermicro hardware and housed within direct liquid-cooled racks, Falcon will deliver a substantial boost in computing power for Cardiff researchers. The system features approximately 7,300 AMD CPU “Genoa” cores, four Nvidia H100 GPUs, plus eight Nvidia L40S GPUs and upgraded storage and networking capabilities. To ensure a smooth transition, selected compute nodes and Nvidia GPUs from Hawk will be integrated into Falcon, alongside additional dedicated research group compute partitions following the core installation.

A key transformation accompanying Falcon’s deployment is the migration of ARCCA services to a commercial data centre outside Cardiff. This move enables ARCCA to leverage a state-of-the-art facility that significantly enhances energy efficiency, leading to lower CO₂ emissions compared to the present on-campus facility. In addition to its environmental benefits, this transition promises to deliver substantial cost savings for the University.

Despite the relocation, ARCCA anticipates no major changes in how it supports the research computing community. Researchers will continue to receive the level of support and access they have come to expect, thereby ensuring a smooth transition to the new infrastructure.

With Falcon, Cardiff University is reaffirming its commitment to providing computational resources that empower researchers across multiple disciplines. Further updates, including detailed user guidance, will be shared with Cardiff’s HPC research community as Falcon approaches full deployment.