Resources - HPC

Guide to Australian HPC and cloud platforms for genomics research. University clusters, NCI, Pawsey, ARDC Nectar, and commercial options compared.

How and Where You Can Run Your Workflows


Australian researchers have access to a wide range of high-performance computing (HPC) and virtual machine (VM) platforms to support computationally intensive research across genomics, health, climate, engineering, and more. These offerings include university-managed clusters, national cloud infrastructure, and commercial platforms—each designed to meet different needs for security, performance, and scalability.



University-Level HPC Resources


University of Adelaide – Phoenix HPC

Phoenix is the University of Adelaide’s primary high-performance computing system. It supports complex computational workloads such as large-scale data processing, simulations, and modeling.

Key features:

  • Over 260 compute nodes with more than 10,800 CPU cores
  • NVIDIA K80 and Volta V100 GPU access
  • 2PB Lustre high-performance shared file system
  • Free access for eligible University researchers
  • Documentation and training resources provided

Phoenix user documentation: Phoenix HPC Wiki

Additional HPC/VM services at UofA:


University of South Australia (UniSA)

UniSA provides access to research computing infrastructure through platforms like SHARMI. Researchers can request access and explore available systems through UniSA’s research technology portal:


Telethon Kids Institute

Telethon Kids supports data-heavy medical and population health research. The institute has access to internal compute infrastructure and collaborates with Curtin University and the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre (see below) for HPC support.



National HPC & Research Cloud Infrastructure


Pawsey Supercomputing Centre

Based in Perth, Pawsey provides supercomputing services for Australian research in fields such as radio astronomy, bioinformatics, engineering, and environmental modeling.

Website: https://pawsey.org.au


ARDC Nectar Research Cloud

The ARDC Nectar Research Cloud is a federated cloud platform offering Australian researchers scalable virtual machines for:

  • Hosting scientific workflows
  • Running web apps
  • Processing and storing research data
  • Deploying reproducible environments

Website: https://ardc.edu.au/services/ardc-nectar-research-cloud/



Commercial HPC & Cloud Providers


Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS provides cloud computing services tailored for academic research and education. Access includes compute instances, machine learning environments, and large-scale data storage.


Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Google Cloud offers cloud computing solutions for researchers, including scalable compute, genomics pipelines, and AI tools.


DUG Technology

DUG provides high-performance computing as a service (HPCaaS) for scientific domains including geophysics and life sciences. Services include cluster access, cloud infrastructure, and technical onboarding.

Website: https://dug.com



Data Movement & Collaboration


Globus via AARNet

Globus enables secure, fast, and fault-tolerant transfer of large datasets between research institutions. It is widely integrated with Australian research facilities, including UofA and Pawsey.

Website: https://www.aarnet.edu.au/globus



How to Choose the Right Platform

When selecting a computing platform, consider the following:

  • Data security – Sensitive data may require local or controlled-access infrastructure
  • Compute type – CPU-intensive vs. GPU-accelerated workloads
  • Duration & scale – Short-term jobs vs. long-term pipelines
  • Ease of access – GUI vs. command-line environments
  • Funding & credits – Free tiers, academic discounts, or subsidised research credits

If you’re new to HPC, start with your university’s supported infrastructure (e.g. Phoenix or Nectar). For larger projects or advanced needs, national or commercial systems may offer better scale and flexibility.



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