HPC servers, quiet high-performance workstations, and high-end storage servers: All expertly integrated and ready to deploy at the University of North Carolina on day 1.
Their Challenge
The Radiology Department at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill was referred to Nor-Tech by one of Nor-Tech’s primary channel partners. After doing some research, including reviewing Nor-Tech’s website, Pew-Thian (PT) Yap, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Radiology; and Director, Image Analysis Core of Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC) at the University, contacted Nor-Tech’s Senior HPC Account Executive Tom Morton.
UNC needed new technology to work on multiple projects that all focused on analyzing MRIs of the human brain across the human lifespan, with a focus on birth-5 years old. All of the necessary data processing would require a significant amount of computing power and storage.
“I asked my student to search for high-performance technology providers online, PT explained. “The student found one of Nor-Tech’s channel partners, who recommended Nor-Tech. We went to Nor-Tech’s website and liked what we saw.”
Nor-Tech did have competitors, but the channel partner referral was a big help. “We still had to beat the competition and fall within their budget,” Tom said.
As is often the case, the client knew what they needed to accomplish, yet needed some help from a trusted provider to recommend the best strategy in terms of technology. Tom said, “They knew they would need GPU servers, workstations, and storage servers and explained their goals. Then we started a conversation about what would make the most sense for their objectives and financial constraints.”
Our Solution
“UNC had a very tight budget, so we worked within that budget to come up with a solution that would fulfill their needs,” Tom explained. Ultimately, the specific solution that Tom recommended and UNC approved included the following:
- Servers integrated with NVIDIA L40S GPUs and NVIDIA H100 GPUs
- GPU workstations integrated with NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada GPUs
- 3 very powerful storage servers with 100s of hard drives.
This ongoing project has spanned over a year’s time and continues. “To be able to start their research as soon as possible, they relied on Nor-Tech for getting these systems fully integrated and ready for full deployment on day one. We didn’t disappoint,” Tom said.
Their Success
One of the workstations resides in the office of the UNC radiology department. In order to blend into an office environment, high performance workstations need to operate quietly. With other workstation developers that is often not the case. Nor-Tech has innovated a workstation, almost as quiet as a printer, that UNC was quite pleased with.
“The workstations we bought from another provider were too loud,” PT said. “The workstations we received from Nor-Tech were so quiet that they impressed my colleagues.”
The project went smoothly. UNC did have a failed drive, which can happen with systems this big. Nor-Tech shipped a replacement immediately–the server was up and running the next day.” It was an opportunity for us to demonstrate our outstanding service and support,” Tom said.
PT has recommended Nor-Tech to other faculty members. In fact, after a subsequent UNC visit by Tom, another department purchased 20 GPUs.
“Tom was easy to work with—knowledgeable and available whenever we needed to speak with him,” PT said. “Dom (Nor-Tech VP of Engineering Dom Daninger) had the expertise we were looking for and has been very, very helpful throughout the project.”
He added, “We have been very happy with the technology which is why we keep buying from Nor-Tech. Prior to Nor-Tech we bought machines from two other providers, but they were not as responsive from a support perspective. Tom has always been there whenever we needed him. He replies very quickly—even outside business hours. The customer service and support have been great.”
Tom concluded, “We were able to come up with a solution that fit their budget and delivered on the services that were needed to get their research into production. It was a pleasure to work with so many smart people that are doing such important work.”
About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
For 230 years, UNC-Chapel Hill has built upon its legacy as the nation’s first public university to open its doors with innovative teaching, groundbreaking research and dedication to public service. World-class studies have quadrupled over the past two decades, firmly establishing UNC as one of America’s top-ranked research institutions. Currently, researchers are on the cusp of exciting breakthroughs while they work to cure cancer and infectious diseases; develop solutions for cognitive health and overall well-being and leverage the institution’s strengths in applied science, generative artificial intelligence and other technologies to create solutions for some of today’s most pressing issues.
About Nor-Tech
Nor-Tech built its reputation on the industry’s easiest-to-deploy cluster solutions and guaranteed no wait time support. The company designed and built the HPC cluster that enabled the first detection of a gravitational wave—a discovery destined to change history. In addition to HPC clusters, Nor-Tech’s custom technology includes workstations, desktops, and servers for a range of applications including CAE, CFD, and FEA. Clients include some of the most respected organizations in the world. Nor-Tech engineers average 20+ years of experience and are responsible for significant high performance computing innovations. The company has been in business since 1998 and is headquartered in Burnsville, Minn. just outside of Minneapolis. To contact Nor-Tech call 952-808-1000/toll free: 877-808-1010 or visit http://www.nor-tech.com. Full release at: http://www.nor-tech.com/category/news/
