High performance computing (HPC)
The University’s High Performance Computing (HPC) facility gives researchers, staff, and students access to powerful computing resources for data‑intensive or large‑scale work. It’s designed for tasks that are too slow or too large to run on a standard laptop or desktop.
Typical uses include genomics, simulations, machine learning, molecular modelling, econometrics, and large‑volume data processing.
Who can use the HPC?
The service is available to:
- University of Essex staff
- University of Essex students
- External collaborators working with University staff on research projects
If you’re unsure whether your project is suitable for HPC, you can contact our support team for advice.
What the HPC provides
Our Linux-based computational cluster includes:
- 30 compute nodes with varying specifications
- 12 GPU nodes with 1–4 NVIDIA GPUs per node (GTX1080Ti, RTX2080)
- 3,248 CPU cores available for computation
- High-speed private network linking all nodes
- 500 GB to 6 TB RAM on compute nodes (depending on node type)
- Hundreds of pre-installed applications and libraries, including open-source and selected proprietary software
You can request installation of additional software through the IT Helpdesk.
Requesting access
Apply for HPC access first. If your request is approved, you’ll receive login details and a short onboarding guide. You must be connected to the University VPN before accessing the cluster or documentation site.
Access requests are usually processed within a few working days.
Getting started: how to use the HPC
New to HPC? This is the basic workflow:
- Connect to the University VPN
- Log in via SSH using your HPC credentials
- Upload your data or code to your HPC storage space
- Submit jobs using the cluster’s scheduler (examples provided in the documentation)
- Monitor and manage jobs through the command line
- Download results once jobs complete
Visit the HPC documentation site at hpc.essex.ac.uk (VPN required) for detailed instructions, example scripts, best practices, and troubleshooting.
Training and support
- Full documentation: hpc.essex.ac.uk (VPN required)
- Technical help and software requests: IT Helpdesk
If you’re new to Linux or the grid engine, you can follow an online tutorial that covers everything you need (about three hours). HPC Support can also provide a starter job‑submission script for your first run.
Example use cases
The HPC supports research across disciplines, such as:
- Running large-scale genome assembly and alignment
- Training machine learning or deep learning models
- Agent-based simulations and scenario modelling
- Processing large survey datasets
- Molecular dynamics and structural modelling
