MSc in High Performance ComputingTraining the next generation of

computational science professionals

EPCC, University of Edinburgh

High performance computer simulations are important in many technological areas. This calculation, made at the University of Edinburgh, shows the structure of liquid crystals, used in state-of-the-art LCD displays. Image courtesy Oliver Henrich.Below: HECToR, the UK’s national HPC service, hosted by EPCC.

What is high performance computing? High performance computing (HPC) is the use of powerful processors, networks and supercomputers to tackle problems that are very compute or data-intensive. HPC is widely used in a range of areas of science, engineering and industry. Many branches of modern science, such as climate research and nanotechnology, rely on complex computer models which can only be run on parallel supercomputers. Companies involved in areas such as aerospace and automative engineering, oil exploration, drug design and genetic sequencing all run computer models on HPC systems.

The same HPC techniques that are used to program large supercomputers can also be used to exploit the full potential of multicore desktops and laptops. HPC techniques are now essential for taking full advantage of modern multicore processors and computing clusters. Parallel programming is also the key technique required to use graphics processors for general numerical computing.

The MSc in HPC gives an excellent grounding in HPC technologies and their practical application. It will appeal to all students from

physical sciences, computer science, engineering and mathematics who have a keen interest in computing and would like to learn about HPC and parallel programming.

HECToR, the UK’s national academic computing service. Hosted by EPCC, this Cray XE system is the largest, fastest and most powerful supercomputer in the country.

Degree programmeThe MSc in HPC aims to give students:

• Expertise in advanced tools and techniques for HPC software development and numerical algorithms.

• The ability to apply this knowledge to key areas in physics, chemistry, engineering and environmental modelling.

• Interdisciplinary skills that are integral to computational science.

• Transferable skills in problem-solving, project management, independent & critical thinking, professionalism and communication.

The programme includes two semesters of taught courses followed by a four-month independent research project. The core courses provide a broad-based coverage of the fundamentals of HPC and parallel computing; the optional courses concentrate on specialist areas relevant to computational science. The teaching and learning approaches have a strong practical focus, and students have access to leading-edge HPC platforms and technologies.

Careers Our students acquire skills that are applicable both to academic computational science research and to a wide range of careers in science, engineering, industry and commercial software development. Previous graduates have gone on to a PhD in areas that utilise HPC technologies, including astrophysics, biology, chemistry, geosciences, informatics and materials science. Others have gone directly to employment in a range of commercial areas, including software development, petroleum engineering, finance and HPC support.

• Cardiac modelling Medical science is increasingly turning to computational models before moving on to patient trials. One active area of research is heart modelling. Information on the structure of a patient’s heart obtained through MRI scans can be used to construct a model heart. To obtain accurate guiding information, these models must be extremely detailed and require the use of large HPC systems.

How is HPC used?Here are two novel applications of HPC by EPCC and its partners.

Simulation of a complex arrhythmia episode within a highly detailed computational model of the rabbit ventricles performed using the CARP simulation software. Simulation performed by Dr Martin Bishop and Dr Gernot Plank using the Cardiac Arrhythmia Research Package (CARP) software.

Taught courses• HPC Architectures

• HPC Ecosystem

• Message-Passing Programming

• Threaded Programming

• Parallel Numerical Algorithms

• Parallel Programming Languages

• Performance Programming

• Advanced Parallel Programming

• Parallel Design Patterns

• Software Development

• Programming Skills

• Project Preparation

Selected optional courses from other MSc programmes are available, for example from the MSc in Computer Science and the MSc in Operational Research

• Fire simulations for disaster management A prototype emergency response system has been developed that uses HPC and Grid technology to deliver advanced fire simulations to fire fighters in emergency situations.

Image courtesy London Fire Brigade.

MSc in HPC: www.epcc.ed.uk/msc

More information: www.epcc.ed.ac.uk/msc Contact us: msc@epcc.ed.ac.ukApplication details: www.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate/applying

About usEPCC is a research institute within the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh. We are one of the leading supercomputing centres in Europe, managing an extensive collection of HPC systems including HECToR, the UK’s £115 million national supercomputing service. This Cray XE system has over 40,000 CPU cores and is the largest, fastest and most powerful supercomputer in the country.

EPCC specialises in programming for science in academia and industry. Staff who teach on the MSc have a wealth of expertise in HPC and research computing and work closely with colleagues from science, engineering, mathematics, medicine and the social sciences.

The University of EdinburghFounded in 1583, the University of Edinburgh has a worldwide reputation for education and research and currently teaches over 20 000 students from more than 120 countries. It is listed in the top 20 universities in the world by The Times Higher Education.

The University is a world-leading centre for advanced computation, and MSc students have access to leading-edge HPC platforms and technologies for their research projects. In addition to the national supercomputers, they can also use EPCC’s multicore, FPGA and GPU-based machines, and the University’s central compute clusters.

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.

What our students say“Studying HPC has been really fulfilling and the possibility of using real HPC resources is by itself a reason to study at EPCC, but in addition I’ve also found many outstanding teachers during the year.” Pablo Barrio

“Very friendly staff and classmates, together with excellent facilities and a beautiful city created a welcoming and supportive environment. Coupling this with a teaching method that is one of the best I have encountered and interesting course content resulted in me learning a lot of useful information and developing important skills. I am very thankful to EPCC for such a wonderful experience.” Alan Richardson

“What I will never forget is the time I have spent here. The knowledge I learned will help me a lot in my future, the spirit and friendship I gained will support all the rest of my life.” Hui Jiang