🇺🇸 June 2024 | Exploring UF’s HiPerGator: A Cutting-Edge AI Supercomputing Journey

I had the incredible opportunity to tour the University of Florida’s HiPerGator AI supercomputer, guided by the knowledgeable Dr. Matt Gitzendanner from UFIT Research Computing. This state-of-the-art facility represents a monumental leap in academic computing and artificial intelligence research.

Tour Highlights

The HiPerGator AI facility is a marvel of modern technology, featuring:

• Location: UF Data Center in Gainesville
• Specs: 63 NVIDIA DGX B200 systems
• Processing Power: 504 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs
• Performance: 7-10 times faster than the previous cluster
• Unique Feature: One of the first university-owned NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD systems

(L2R): Prof. Henry Medeiros, Me, Nesrine Ben Hassine, Zahra Khademi, Amir Etefaghi Daryani, Ruoyao Qin

Personal Experience

During the tour, Dr. Matt Gitzendanner provided fascinating insights into the supercomputer’s capabilities. The facility is impressive, spanning 5,000 square feet and generating so much heat that 125,000 cubic feet of air must be cycled twice every minute to keep the system cool.

(L2R): Matt Gitzendanner, Prof. Henry Medeiros, Me, Nesrine Ben Hassine, Zahra Khademi, Ruoyao Qin, Amir Etefaghi Daryani

Future Access

• Early User Access: June 2024
• Full Availability: Fall 2025
• Cost: $24 million investment
• Supported Research: Over 33 million research requests annually

The tour was a remarkable glimpse into the future of computational research, showcasing UF’s commitment to advancing AI and technological innovation.