Seven students from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) took first prize in the Student Cluster Competition (SCC) and won a sponsored trip to the Dell High Performance Computing and AI lab in Texas.
The SCC is organised by the Centre for High-Performance Computing (CHPC), which is supported by the Department of Science and Innovation, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). It challenges undergraduate students to design, build, and manage mini-supercomputers for real-world scientific tasks.
The prize included training at Dell Labs and a chance to represent South Africa at the International Super Computing (ISC) Student Cluster Competition in Hamburg, Germany from 12 to 16 May 2024.
"The South African government's support of international cyber infrastructure excellence is paying off," stated Coach Nyameko Lisa, reflecting on their experience at the Texas Advanced Computing Centre (TACC). "The CHPC must continue to leverage partnerships and collaboration so we can use technology to solve our challenges locally and across the continent."
During their visit to TACC, the team delved into modern HPC systems crucial for AI workflows worldwide. The immersive experience included visits to institutions like NASA and the University of Houston, providing invaluable exposure to bleeding-edge technology.
Ryan Rautenbach, advisory systems engineer for Dell Technologies South Africa, emphasises HPC's power in driving AI and analytics: "As it becomes more accessible, HPC is enabling important discoveries and solving some of the most important challenges of our time."
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