UA receives grant to buy, put together supercomputer

Machine to be among fastest at all U.S. colleges

By The Associated Press

FAYETTEVILLE — The National Science Foundation has awarded an $800,000 grant for the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville to buy and assemble the state’s second supercomputer.

The new machine will be among the fastest supercomputers in all U.S. colleges and universities, school officials said. The computer will aid researchers in computer science, physics, chemistry and other areas, the school said.

“In scope and scale, this project really extends far beyond the Fayetteville campus,” said Amy Apon, professor of computer science and engineering. “We see its relevance as a critical piece of infrastructure to implement a statewide strategy of high-performance computing that will benefit applications in engineering, science, government, business and agriculture.”

The state’s other supercomputer, Red Diamond, is also housed at the Fayetteville campus. The new computer will connect to Red Diamond, the Arkansas Research and Education Optical Network, and computer networks at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.