MOU Between HPC Centres from Finland and Singapore Explores New Network Links, Better Data Transfer Security and Green Data Centres
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Singapore entities and Finland’s CSC-IT Centre for Science is a new partnership that will explore collaboration in key HPC areas (Photo credit: NSCC)
5 May 2021 – An MOU signed between National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore, Singapore Advanced Research & Education Network (SingAREN) and the Quantum Engineering Programme of the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Finland’s CSC-IT Centre for Science reflects the ongoing collaborative spirit in the HPC community. The MOU took centre stage at the Opening Ceremony of the SCA21 virtual conference when it was announced by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative.
“The crisis has underscored the importance of international cooperation in the fight against the virus across the world,” said Dr Vivian Balakrishnan in his Opening Speech to officially launch the SCA21 conference. “It is in this spirit of collaboration that I am happy to announce that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the CSC-IT Center for Science in Finland, and the Singapore National Supercomputing Centre, Singapore Advanced Research and Education Network, and the National University of Singapore. This MOU signals our intent to accelerate cross-border collaborations, which will benefit the research communities far beyond our shores.”
“The MOU and the other collaborative sessions at SCA21 are a reflection of the resolve by the HPC community to continue cooperation as a tool in fighting global challenges like the current pandemic, and to better prepare us to face the challenges to come,” said Associate Professor Tan Tin Wee, the Chairperson of the SCA21 Steering Committee, and the Chief Executive of NSCC.
He added, “For Singapore, the new collaboration between CSC and the Singapore entities is significant as it could help future-proof Singapore’s HPC resources by creating new research links and connectivity to Europe, develop better ways to protect the transfer of data over long distances, and helps us explore new ways to create more efficient and greener data centres.”
Among other things, the collaboration will explore a new high-speed, high-bandwidth research fibre optic link between Finland and Singapore as well as more secure ways of protecting data transfer by using quantum technology. NSCC and CSC are also studying Finnish green data centre models which have the potential to significantly lower data centre power consumption costs – the largest cost component in most data centres – by leveraging climate and renewable energy sources.
For more information on the MOU, pls refer to the press release.