The federal and provincial governments will fund a combined $16.4 million infrastructure upgrade for Arbutus Cloud, Canada’s largest cloud computing site for academic research – hosted by the University of Victoria.
On Monday (June 3) the Digital Research Alliance of Canada announced $10.28 million to renew the Arbutus Cloud infrastructure and the B.C. government announced an additional investment of up to $6.14 million to support the renewal.
“Cloud computing accelerates the speed of research and streamlines collaboration across countries and continents,” said Lisa Kalynchuk, UVic’s vice president of research and innovation, in a news release. “We’re very grateful for this investment, which will support both fundamental science and applied research discoveries that impact our everyday lives – from unlocking secrets of the brain, to understanding the cosmos, to modelling solutions for a healthier, more sustainable future.”
The Arbutus Cloud has processing speeds thousands of times faster than a desktop computer and serves as the cornerstone for more than 1,000 research teams across Canada.
UVic said the investment will add storage and capabilities, increasing stability and support for researchers when processing, sharing and storing massive data sets.
The upgrade will also enable the next generation of supercomputers to be cooled more quietly and efficiently using water instead of air.
Principal research scientist of the Institute of Particle Physics, Randall Sobie, uses Arbutus Cloud to process data from large international experiments relating to technology used in everyday life, from the internet to the production of isotopes and lifesaving medical imaging and cancer treatments, which all rely on particle physics accelerators.
“Advanced research computing is a vital tool in the Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy,” said Francois-Philippe Champagne, federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, in a news release. “Today’s announcement will help ensure the researchers are better equipped to optimize research data to generate cutting-edge knowledge and ideas. Expanding the capacity of Canadian supercomputing power ensures that Canada maintains its science and research excellence and remains globally competitive.”
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