The state-of-the art supercomputing systems in the Czech Republic and a national grid and cloud infrastructure are available to users for high-performance computing (HPC). e-INFRA CZ offers computing and storage capacities for science, research and commercial partners in several different categories:
- IT4Innovations Supercomputers
- MetaCentrum
- Grid
- Cloud
- Kubernetes
- AI Tools (WebUI + API)
- SensitiveCloud (Kubernetes)
- Virtualization
Supercomputers of IT4Innovations
Computational resources of the centre are dedicated for solving problems from research and development done by academic and research institutions in the Czech Republic. Part of the capacity is dedicated for development of collaboration between academia and industry, or for industry itself.
Institutions can apply for computational resources within Open Access Grant Competitions. The grant competition is announced 3 times a year (February, June, October) for employees of research, scientific and educational organizations. T4Innovations also helps interested Czech entities in obtaining computing time in European supercomputing centres associated in the PRACE RI initiative.
MetaCentrum
MetaCentrum provides powerful computing and data-processing tools suited to a broad spectrum of users—ranging from individual students and researchers to large-scale scientific teams. Our resources encompass computing and storage capacities, specialized hardware, software, and network infrastructure, all designed to meet the diverse and demanding needs of modern research.
The infrastructure is funded and maintained by CESNET, CERIT-SC, and multiple universities and institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences. These geographically distributed facilities are tightly integrated with the CESNET Storage Department, offering long-term data storage, backup, and archiving. By pooling together a non-homogeneous resource set with varying properties, capabilities, and restrictions, we can address the unique requirements of different research projects.
We also coordinate the acquisition of specialized and expensive software, handling centralized procurement and license management for selected tools. In addition, user-friendly graphical interfaces (OnDemand, Galaxy, Rancher,...) streamline data analysis and computation. Overall, MetaCentrum provides researchers with reliable, flexible, and high-performance solutions that drive cutting-edge scientific innovation.
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MetaCentrum Grid
The grid is the basic method of accessing the MetaCentrum resources. The tasks processed are typically batch-type, with task durations on the scale of hours to weeks. The users specify their demands for resources (hardware requirements, software licences), based on which tasks are planned centrally by a batch system, which is responsible for fair distribution and optimal utilisation of available capacity. In spite of the heterogeneity of its resources, the grid environment is uniform, centrally managed and with centrally managed software (development environments and application software from a wide range of disciplines available from all the computing nodes). Of course, it supports OpenMP and MPI, GP-GPU,…
In addition, user-friendly graphical interfaces (OnDemand, Galaxy,...) streamline data analysis and computation.
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MetaCentrum Cloud
The MetacentrumCloud provides the ability to run entire (virtual) machines – computing nodes – instead of computing tasks. Thus, the user achieves absolute freedom of configuration and management of the environment for running calculations, since he becomes the owner and administrator of a set of dedicated virtual computing nodes. The cloud interface is designed for those users who achieve with it a solution to their specific needs or elimination of an obstacle represented by adaptation to a shared distributed computing environment. Examples include requirements for a different operating system (including MS Windows), own environment for task management, or requirement of an international project for installation of an identical environment at all the collaborating institutions.
A significant property of the cloud approach is that it introduces the virtual network as a new resource. Connection of virtual (computing) nodes to a user network produces a virtual cluster, which can change its capacity (number and type of nodes) dynamically. The network can be private (protected), connected to the user’s own environment (virtual expansion of a local cluster) or, thanks to integration with advanced CESNET network services, it can even connect a distributed team across the country.
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Kubernetes (Rancher)
At MetaCentrum, the CERIT-SC team operates a cutting-edge container platform built on the robust Kubernetes orchestrator, utilizing Docker container images. Our platform leverages the Rancher Kubernetes distribution, providing an intuitive user interface through the Rancher dashboard. This allows users to easily deploy, manage, and scale their applications, taking advantage of a highly versatile and scalable infrastructure. With a focus on user-centric design, our platform abstracts away the complexities of infrastructure management, enabling users to focus on their applications and research.
With access to a wide range of pre-built applications, Docker images, and the ability to create custom applications, users can easily explore various use cases, from simple web applications to complex workflow pipelines. Check out Rancher Applications (Matlab, Virtual Desktop,…) or Web Applications (Jupyter Notebook, Alphafold/Foldify,…), leverage a vast array of Docker images from global registries like hub.docker.com, keeping in mind any limitations, or create and deploy custom applications. Refer to the dockerfile section for guidance.
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AI Tools (WebUI + API)
At CERIT-SC, we offer AI services specifically designed for the academic community, providing powerful, user-friendly, and fully controlled solutions. Our Open WebUI platform offers secure, on-premise access to advanced language models for various applications, including chatting, coding, document processing, and image generation. The interface is available in multiple languages, including Czech, and developers and research teams can also access the same models via a documented REST API.
Our services operate entirely within the secure e-INFRA CZ infrastructure, ensuring that your data never leaves this environment and addressing concerns regarding data privacy and third-party data leakage. We provide a range of features, including a chat interface, combined web and arXiv search integrated with AI responses, image generation, and RAG (retrieve and generate) capabilities. Additionally, we offer integration with popular development environments, such as JupyterHub and RStudio, allowing users to easily access AI functionality and customize their experience. The service requires a valid MetaCenter account.
SensitiveCloud (Kubernetes)
SensitiveCloud is a secure computing and storage environment provided by CERIT-SC (part of e-INFRA CZ) for sensitive data processing and research. Primarily tailored to academic research (notably life sciences and medicine), its design complies with security standards such as ISO 27000, C5, ISO 15189, and ECRIN. SensitiveCloud leverages container technology via Kubernetes (K8s).
Virtualisation
Reliable virtualisation infrastructure VMware is run in two data centres (Prague and Brno).
