High performance computing - BlueFern

VUW is a founding partner in the BlueFern University of Canterbury Supercomputer (UCSC). VUW staff and students can access the BlueFern on request, and programming support and training can be arranged.

The BlueFern combines a 160-processor Power 5 machine and a 4096-processor Blue Gene system, both supplied by IBM. The BlueFern is designed to solve very complex problems in many disciplines, including astronomy, physics, health, energy, genetics, social sciences, chemistry and engineering.

VUW staff and PhD students currently use the BlueFern for research into nanotechnology and advanced materials: a case study of this research is available. Researchers from other areas like biological sciences and economics are also likely to use the BlueFern in 2008.