The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Consortium was formed by five universities to pursue computationally intensive research projects beyond the capabilities of individual institutions. The Consortium has sponsored initiatives for multi-university collaborations and provided shared computing infrastructure. It has also stimulated novel collaborative research through its Research Seed Grant Program and engaged with the local community through educational partnerships.

1. Research Collaboration
The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Consortium was formed to
identify and pursue computationally intensive research opportunities that are beyond
the reach of a single university. In addition to improving access to research computing
infrastructure, the Consortium has sponsored initiatives to encourage promising
multi-university research projects.
Founding members of the MGHPCC Consortium are Northeastern University, MIT, Boston
University, the University of Massachusetts, and Harvard University. Consortium efforts
have also included other universities and research institutes in the region.
Steering Committee
u The MGHPCC Consortium Steering Committee is composed of senior academic leaders from each of the
founding universities. It meets regularly to review proposals and discuss opportunities for collaboration.
u The Steering Committee is complemented by a faculty working group that develops ideas and proposals
and organizes workshops and grant programs.
Research Seed Grant Program
Goal: stimulate novel collaborative research activities addressing significant HPC challenges
 collaborative = multi-MGHPCC institutions
 “seed” activities leading to future collaborative research and support
Research seed projects typically address large, complex problems, beyond a single academic institution or
discipline, including:
 Innovative, “smart” infrastructure systems-level supporting dynamic HPC (including human interaction)
 HPC applications in the life, environment, health, natural, social sciences, as well as mathematics
 Workshops building a research community
Examples of seed grant awards:
Computational nanotechnology. Hossein Mosallaei and David Kaeli (Northeastern) have teamed up
with Efthimios Kaxiras (Harvard) to create computer models that simulate the behavior of metals,
dielectric and magnetic particles at extremely small scales, allowing insights into the behavior of
important new materials.
Greening High Performance Computing. Ayse K. Coskun and Martin C. Herbordt (BU), and Gunar
Schirner (Northeastern) are exploring ways to measure and improve the energy efficiency of
application software for large scale high-performance computing. Energy issues are a critical element
in achieving efficient, cost-effect HPC.
Massive Genomic Data Processing and Deep Analysis. Yanlei Diao and Li-Jun Ma (UMass Amherst),
together with Samuel Madden (MIT), and Yiping Shen and Bai-Lin Wu (Harvard Med. & Children’s
Hosp., Boston) are developing a next-generation, on-demand service for managing and processing
massive amounts of genome information and automating the analysis of association, causality,
and outlier detection.
Shared Computing Infrastructure
Faculty at the MGHPCC universities have worked together to acquire jointly-­ wned computing resources that support
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two complementary objectives:
 Making large scale computing resources available for scientific research
 Advancing the state of the art in algorithm design, virtualization, cloud computing, and other technologies
that increase the value of computing resources to the research community.
Ongoing projects include:
 Installation and operation of a large scale a hybrid computing platform for research in Life Sciences, Geophysics,
and other physical sciences. The platform integrates a state-of-the-art cluster computer with forward-looking,
potentially exascale-oriented, GPU accelerator hardware. The system is expected to offer significantly more
responsive, “on-demand” capabilities than traditional HPC centers provide. Funding is provided by the NSF
Major Research Instrumentation Program.
 Installation and operation of a large scale system focused on the intersection of Big Data and Life Science
research. The project will bring together Life Sciences Researchers, Computer Scientists, and Industry partners
to develop new data analysis techniques and new insights. Funding is provided by the Massachusetts Life
Sciences Center.

2. A Computer Center for Scientific Research
The MGHPCC Data center is a state of the art, 90,000 square foot data center dedicated
to research computing. The center opened in November 2012. It is located in Holyoke MA,
where the local utility generates more than 75% of its energy supply from a hydroelectric
plant that was originally constructed to power the city’s textile mills in the late 1800s.
Holyoke is located close to a major fiber optic network crossroads. This allows inexpensive
high bandwidth connections to universities and research institutions throughout New
England, and ready access to national and international research networks. The facility
was designed for both high energy efficiency and low environmental footprint.
2010: Site Selection
u Goal: Find a site with low-cost green power, with access to high bandwidth communication links
u Approach: Multi-university selection team surveyed multiple sites throughout the state
u Result: Selected Holyoke Massachusetts
Using captive dark fiber
assets, every university in
the Consortium will have
a dedicated 10Gbps link More than 75% of Holyoke’s power is supplied by a local hydroelectric
from its campus to the plant, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the MGHPCC.
facility, with the ability to Electric rates are the lowest in the state.
upgrade to 100Gbps as
interface costs decline.
Prior to construction, the project
rehabilitated an unused industrial
.
site for reuse, recycling 90% of the
building material and removing
environmental pollution.
2011: Design and Site Preparation
u Goal: State of the art energy efficiency; low environmental footprint.
u Approach: Architect and general contractor oversight by senior facility engineers from all 5 Consortium
members, with a program manager from one of the universities (MIT) serving as the project lead.
u Result: LEED compliant design with industry-leading energy efficiency
The design team used the 110 point LEED scorecard as a guide for best practices. Application for LEED certification
is currently under review by the US Green Building Council.
Target Power Usage Effectiveness of 1.2, compared to and average of 1.9 for data centers in operation today.
At full load, that represents a 6 MW power saving, enough to power approximately 5,000 US homes.
LEED considerations include storm water management, chemical-free treatment of cooling tower water,
minimization of water use, assurance of indoor air quality, and ongoing measurement and verification of
green operation.
2012: Project Completion
u Facility opened in November 2012, on schedule and under budget.
10 Megawatts for computing, with additional electrical power for cooling and support
Optimized for high power density research computing systems
90,000 square feet
Room for expansion

3. Engaging the Community
Since its inception, members of the MGHPCC Consortium have worked with regional
community colleges, the local public school system and regional business leaders on
educational and economic development opportunities. The approach has been geared
toward building durable partnerships, starting with workshops to identify mutual interests
and acting on opportunities where there is clear benefit.
2010: Workshops
u Goals: Introduce stakeholders; identify opportunities; learn from programs in other regions
u Forums: Education Workshops, Clean Energy Innovation Workshop, Economic Development Task Force
u Results: joint project ideas with City and State agencies, K-12, community colleges, and business leaders
Clean Energy Innovation
Workshop Keynote speaker:
Patricia Hoffman,
Assistant Secretary,
Office of Electricity Delivery
and Energy Reliability,
US Department of Energy
MGHPCC Educators Conference
2011: Planning and Proposals
u Goals: Attract funding for joint activities in education, clean energy, and economic development.
Leverage data center project to attract other investment to the city
u Forums: Standing working groups and ad hoc proposal teams
u Results: more than 10 proposals, either direct or in combination with research proposals
2012: Initial Projects
u In-class pilot study of virtual interactive textbook (VIT) technology with Holyoke middle school classrooms.
The textbooks enabled interactive computational experiments to study natural phenomena such as weather
and climate. The study included qualitative and quantitative measurements of student engagement and
performance.
u Used the construction project as a learning opportunity by creating Internships for community college students
and an after school “introduction to construction engineering” program for high school students.
u Opened the MGHPCC classroom lab and meeting space for public use in the fall of 2012.
u Startup grant for joint implementation of Cisco Networking Academy curriculum at Dean Technical High
School, Holyoke Community College, and the classroom lab at the MGHPCC. The grant includes funding for
equipment, instructor training, and scholarships. Certification programs for students and incumbent workers
will be implemented in 2013.
u As part of a capital grant award for a computer system, received funding to equip the MGHPCC classroom
lab with robotics kits, to be used in conjunction with new curriculum at Dean Technical High School.
Holyoke middle school MGHPCC Lego Youthforce
teacher Yvonne Hilyard Classroom and Mindstorms 2000
describes how she used the Meeting Space Robot students
module in her class.
(Image Credit: M.Mattingly)