Dr Kevin Berwick
High Performance Computing
High-performance computing (HPC) evolved due to meet increasing demands for processing speed. HPC brings together hardware and software to solve advanced problems effectively. HPC focuses on developing parallel processing algorithms to divide big problems into small pieces. Each piece is solved on a separate processor and then the results are combined.
The first language I learned was PASCAL as an undergraduate. Since then I have toyed with MATLAB, Python, Julia and a little Assembly. If you are a student who would like to do some work with me, you can use any language you like, on Linux, Mac OS or Windows, it is entirely up to you.
My current interests in HPC include the numerical simulation of quantum confinement, soliton behaviour, earthquake modelling, neural networks, shockwaves, fluid dynamics, CUDA, HPC in the Cloud, the Fermi Pasta Ulam Problem, protein folding, the Ising model of magnetism, molecular dynamics and ballistics.
If you are interested in any of these problems, HPC, Scientific Computing, or just want a chat about Projects, take a look at the Sample Theses section of this website to learn more.
Then get in touch with me! I’m looking forward to hearing from you........
HPC hardware platforms available in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
SEEE High Performance Computing Rack Server
This is a DELL PowerEdge R750xs Rack Server. This machine is used for a wide variety of research activities in the School. I have run a number of Projects on this system in the area of Applied Mathematics, Solid State Diffusion, Infection modelling and Computational Neuroscience. Access is via your desktop and a Virtual Machine.
The system is managed by Mr. Andrew Dillon, above right, HPC System Administrator. You can email him at andrew.dillon@tudublin.ie with queries or to apply for an Account.
The system is very easy to use. Once you get an account, you can read THIS to learn how to use the machine.
Figure 1.DELL PowerEdge R750xs Rack Server
Irish Centre for High End Computing (ICHEC)
Kay is now (2025) retired, CASPIr, the replacement is delayed. As an interim measure, Irish researchers have access to
Meluxina in Luxembourg, ranked 36th globally. This machine was the greenest in the EU in the Top500 ranking.
To get access
1. Register a central ICHEC account. https://www.ichec.ie/academic/national-hpc/documentation/access-hpc
2. Apply for your own National Service Project
You will almost certainly get a Class C Project, if you apply. Bigger projects need justification that scaling will work. As an indication, here is the 2025 resource allocation for a Class C Project.
CLASS C Discovery
Max. Normalised Node Hours: 2,500 h
Max. Storage: 1000 GB
Max. Duration: 12 months
Target Review Turnaround Time: 1 week
Proposal: 2-3 pages
Applicants: Group Leader/Professor/Lecturer/Post-doc/Graduate Student
Scientific Computing
If you are interested in Computational Physics, take a look at the book, Computational Physics, by Nicholas Giordano and Hisao Nakanishi, available in the library in Grangegorman. I have writtten a FREE Book, Computational Physics with MATLAB®, to accompany this book. Below is some eye candy from the book!
Student Projects
Here are some examples of my student's work. Hopefully your work will appear here soon. If any of the pictures you see here appeal or intrigue you, please get in touch to discuss projects..and check out the Sample Reports sections of this website for more!
