University of Florida invests in supercomputer upgrade for AI and research

The University of Florida has announced plans to upgrade its HiPerGator supercomputer with new equipment from Nvidia. According to a press release, the $24 million investment will strengthen the institution’s leadership in AI and research.

The existing HiPerGator AI supercomputer, an NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with DGX A100 systems, remains the fastest of its kind in higher education, the university said. It will be replaced by the new NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with 63 NVIDIA DGX B200 systems, including the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform and the NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking platform with 400 Gbps bandwidth for each GPU.

HiPerGator is used each semester in courses throughout UF and the State University System of Florida, as well as in research projects led by more than 6,000 researchers, the university said. It also supports Navigator AI, a UF-developed tool that provides generative AI capabilities for students, faculty and staff.

Examples of specific HiPerGator projects are:

• Building a “digital twin” of the UF Health Cancer Center to train medical staff;
• A flood simulation designed to help Jacksonville city government and emergency response teams create accurate pre-storm evacuation plans and coordinate post-storm rescue operations. And
• An AI tool for tracking and managing financial markets.

All current HiPerGator AI projects will eventually transition to the new supercomputer, the university said, initially stopping the NVIDIA DGX Cloud to keep it running while the new system is built. The new supercomputer is expected to be ready for initial users in June and then available to all UF members by fall 2025.

“The University of Florida has been a pioneer in providing AI infrastructure to its students and deploying this infrastructure across its curriculum and across the region,” Nvidia co-founder and UF alumnus Chris Malachowsky said in a statement. “With this new HiPerGator NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD with DGX B200 systems, UF will provide students and faculty with an exquisite tool to advance AI research, discovery and innovation across many disciplines, educating the next generation of AI leaders. “

“The upgrade to our new HiPerGator supercomputer will strengthen our leadership in artificial intelligence and significantly enhance the teaching, learning and research capabilities of our faculty and students,” commented Elias G. Eldayrie, UF vice president and chief information officer. “This represents a tremendous step forward in our commitment to fostering innovation and discovery across all disciplines. It is truly great to be a Florida Gator.”