Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. and Senior Vice Provost for Research Dawn Bonnell announce the launch of the Penn Advanced Research Computing Center (PARCC), a groundbreaking initiative aligned with the goals of the University’s new strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, to lead on the great challenges of our time by harnessing interdisciplinary innovation to achieve the most impactful research outcomes.

PARCC, which will be available to researchers in spring 2025, will provide a central platform for computational and data-driven research across campus, including hardware, software, system support, and research consulting services. It will enhance power, capacity, and speed, with a high-performance computing data cluster housed at a regional colocation data center and access to additional GPUs and CPUs built on shared high-speed storage and networking infrastructure that will double current capacity at Penn.

PARCC will offer unparalleled support to researchers across all Penn schools and empower Penn’s research community to remain at the forefront of technological innovation. Its University-wide support and resources will provide the flexibility and economies of scale essential to achieve breakthroughs in data-driven and AI research. Over time, it will enable faculty and researchers to explore the best and most efficient research computing practices, including on-premises and cloud-based solutions, and provide additional resources such as data science consulting, enhanced HPC services, and increased capacity based on the evolving needs and growth of our computational research community. Researchers interested in PARCC can contact their school’s IT team and visit the new PARCC website for more details and to sign up for periodic updates that will include deadlines, pricing options, and additional technical specifications on the PARCC buildout.

All members of the Penn community are encouraged to visit the new PARCC website to learn more and to sign up for updates.