The University of Pennsylvania has launched a new off-campus supercomputer named Betty, built to support advanced artificial intelligence research. Located in a data centre in Collegeville, about 30 miles from the main campus, the system is powered by NVIDIA’s AI platform.
Betty is based on the NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD architecture, with 31 GPU nodes connected through NDR400 InfiniBand fabric. Each node has eight high-performance GPUs, allowing researchers to run large-scale experiments seamlessly across the entire cluster.
The supercomputer is named after Frances “Betty” Holberton, one of the original ENIAC programmers. It enables researchers to process complex datasets such as images, videos and text, and fine-tune outputs based on specific instructions.
Betty nearly quadruples the university’s current computing capacity and will be accessible to all departments and schools. It has been built off-campus to handle the heavy power and cooling requirements, which are around one megawatt, without burdening campus infrastructure.
Currently in its pilot phase, the system is already in use by 47 researchers from 10 labs. Active projects include genome sequencing of 60,000 individuals, robotics simulations, vision and language model training, and AI-based software development.
University officials noted that this centralised facility will reduce the need for smaller, individual lab servers and allow more efficient use of computing resources across various disciplines.
The new system Betty is a major advancement for the university in the global race for AI infrastructure and innovation. It is expected to boost Penn’s research capabilities, attract top talent and help secure competitive funding for future projects.
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
Do Follow: The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News LinkedIn Account | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Facebook | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Youtube | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Twitter |The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Whatsapp Channel | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Instagram
About us:
The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News is a premier platform dedicated to delivering latest news, updates, and insights from the tech industry. With its strong foundation of intellectual property and thought leadership, the platform is well-positioned to stay ahead of the curve and lead conversations about how technology shapes our world. From its early days as CIO News to its rebranding as The Mainstream on November 28, 2024, it has been expanding its global reach, targeting key markets in the Middle East & Africa, ASEAN, the USA, and the UK. The Mainstream is a vision to put technology at the center of every conversation, inspiring professionals and organizations to embrace the future of tech.
