National High-Performance Computing – ACCESS
ACCESS is an NSF-funded program consisting of a nationwide collection of supercomputing systems available to researchers and educators.
ACCESS (Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support), formerly XSEDE, is a National Science Foundation-funded, nationwide collection of supercomputing systems available to researchers through merit-based allocations. The resources are free, but the application process can be competitive depending on the compute resources needed.
Learn more about ACCESS and additional NSF resources
Watch CUIT's webinar with an overview and demo of NSF ACCESS
The demo of the ACCESS environment in Jetstream2 begins at 24:27.
Watch to learn more about the NSF program, what types of resources are available, the different allocation tiers, who is eligible, the application process, and utilization of our Columbia Discover Allocation on ACCESS that Columbia ACCESS representatives from the Research Computing Services Team can readily approve.
Similar to ACCESS, the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot is funded by another NSF grant that provides resources to projects specific to AI research. NAIRR aims to connect U.S. researchers and educators to computational, data, and training resources needed to advance AI research and research that employs AI. NAIRR includes some of the same computational resources as ACCESS, making an easy transition for those who have used ACCESS.
Learn more about NAIRR on CUIT's informational NAIRR page, complete with FAQ and step-by-step webinar on how to apply.
Columbia researchers can use a few types of allocations in order of ease of acquisition and amount of resources available.
Columbia Discover Allocation
- Use Columbia's Discover allocation (which Columbia ACCESS representatives from the Research Computing Services Team can readily approve).
- Note: Resource usage on the Columbia Discover Allocation is for small-scale testing, benchmarking, and evaluation. We recommend applying for a dedicated ACCESS allocation for larger-scale compute needs.
Explore Allocation
- Explore requests require minimal documentation: CV and an abstract of the project.
- This allocation type is best for resource evaluation, graduate student projects, small classes and training events, benchmarking, code development and porting, and similar small-scale uses.
Accelerate Allocation
- Accelerate ACCESS requests require the following documentation: a project description, a three to five page project description and the PI's CV. A panel will review your request for approval.
- Accelerate is recommended for experienced users with mid-scale resource needs, consolidating multi-grant programs, collaborative projects, and gateways with growing communities.
- You would need to submit a Maximize access allocation request for resources greater than this.
Maximize Allocation
- Maximize requests are large-scale projects that require massive computational resources.
- Requests require the following documentation: a project description, a proposal no more than ten pages long, and the PI’s CV. A panel will review your request for approval. The requirements may evolve over time to ensure that the reviewers have adequate information to assess submissions and ensure efficient and effective use of the allocated resources.
FAQs
ACCESS resources are freely available for Columbia researchers and educators. Furthermore, Columbia's ACCESS representatives are available to approve applications to join our Discover Allocation with a fast turnaround time so you can find out if this is right HPC option for your project quickly.
Note: ACCESS allocation policies govern resources.
Any researcher or educator at Columbia University can request ACCESS resources.
Yes! Instructors can use ACCESS resources for educational purposes for their classes. You can request an Explore of Discover allocation to meet your courses’ compute needs.
For further instructions on how to request an ACCESS allocation for yourself and your students, contact us at [email protected].
For a list of available resources see the Resource Catalog.
If you are unsure of which ACCESS resource to request, the new ACCESS Resource Advisor can help guide and make recommendations based on your research needs.
Allocations for Explore, Discover, and Accelerate projects are awarded in ACCESS Credits. They are the “currency” used that allows you to use certain resources. You can convert your allocated ACCESS credits to Resource Service Units. Service Units are the measurement of credits distributed to an allocation. Generally, 1 Service Unit = 1 Core Hour or 1 GB of storage, but this may vary based on the resource provider and compute resource.
You can use the ACCESS Exchange Calculator to learn more.
A NAIRR Pilot allocation can complement existing or planned allocations obtained via the ACCESS program. For example, you might identify a subset of your research program that is well aligned with the NAIRR Pilot focus areas and likely to produce successful results within 12 months. This project could progress in parallel with the work done under ACCESS.
Additionally, building upon work you have already done on existing resources can help substantiate your NAIRR Pilot resource request, by referencing publications and performance data obtained on the requested resources for similar or related software and data.
Graduate students are eligible to apply for Explore or Discover ACCESS allocations, provided they submit a letter of collaboration from their advisor.
Undergraduates are not eligible to apply for their own allocation, but may use their ACCESS ID to leverage ACCESS resources if their instructor has received an allocation for classroom/educational use.