Access to DiRAC is co-ordinated by The STFC’s DiRAC Resource Allocation Committee, which puts out an annual Call for Proposals to request time for a Full Project Allocation and also operates a Seedcorn Time programme.
Seedcorn Time Programme
For researchers who would like to try the DiRAC resources, get a feel for HPC, test codes, benchmark or see what the DiRAC resources can do for you before making a full application for resources, an application can be made for seedcorn time.
Existing users may also apply for seedcorn allocations to enable code development/testing on a service which is not currently part of their project allocation.
You can apply for seedcorn time at any time.
Seedcorn Application
The maximum allocation of seedcorn time will be 100,000 x86 core hours or 1,000 GPU hours. Your hours can be used at any time within three months from the date it is allocated. If you require a larger seedcorn allocation in order to carry out the necessary testing of your code, please contact the DiRAC Director to discuss your requirements.
An overview of the DiRAC hardware resources can be found here.
If you would like to apply please fill in this simple DiRAC Seedcorn application form and send it to diracseedcorn@jiscmail.ac.uk
You will need to provide your personal details, the codes that you intend to run and what libraries and tools are required for you to run the code, if known. We also would like to know what you intend to achieve with your allocation and of course which of the four DiRAC systems you would like to use.
You should be able to complete the form in around 15 minutes.
The decision process for Seedcorn applications is streamlined and should take no more that 1 week.