This collaboration will provide RMIT University researchers and students with the ability to access cloud supercomputing at scale on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate research outcomes for advanced manufacturing, space, fintech, digital health, and creative technologies.

Supercomputing in the cloud will help RMIT researchers address some of the world’s most complex challenges in far less time – from disease prevention, extreme weather forecasting, and citizen safety.

RMIT will leverage AWS Direct Connect low latency, secure and private connections to AWS for workloads which require higher speed or lower latency than the internet. The increased bandwidth will give researchers, students, staff, and industry partners the ability to experiment and test new ideas and discoveries involving large data sets at speed, fast-tracking the time between concept and products that RMIT are ready to take to market.

AARNet will provide the high-speed internet and telecommunications services required for the facility. Intel will contribute advanced technology solutions to process, optimise, store, and move large, complicated data sets.

RMIT Deputy Vice-Chancellor (STEM College) and Vice President Digital Innovation, Professor Aleksandar Subic said the facility, supported by the Victorian Government Higher Education Investment Fund, is a pioneering example of innovation in the university sector.

“Our collaboration with AWS, Intel, and AARNet to establish Australia’s first cloud supercomputing facility represents a step change in how universities and industries access HPC capabilities for advanced data processing and computing,” Subic said.

“By leveraging AWS Direct Connect, RMIT is set to access tremendous HPC processing power using a unique service model that provides seamless access to all our staff, researchers, and students.

“Our industry partners will also have access to the new cloud supercomputing facility through joint projects and programs.

“The facility will be operated by our researchers and students in another example that shows how industry engagement and work integrated learning are in our DNA.”

AARNet CEO Chris Hancock said AARNet had provided RMIT and other Australian universities with leading-edge telecommunications services to enable transformational research outcomes for decades.

“We’ve also been connecting researchers to the cloud for many years, but nothing on this scale,” he said.

“We’re excited to be partnering with RMIT on this project that uses our ultra-fast network to remove the barrier of geography and distance for research across Australia and beyond.”