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Welcome to Advanced Research Computing (ARC)

Providing high performance computing systems and services for Virginia Tech students and faculty

What is ARC?

Advanced Research Computing (ARC) provides centralized research computing infrastructure and support for the Virginia Tech research community. ARC's resources include high-performance computing systems, large-scale data storage, visualization facilities, software, and consulting services. We welcome researchers of all experience levels and across all disciplines.

How can ARC help me achieve my research goals?

ARC's high-performance computing (HPC) systems can help researchers process big data sets, run deep learning applications, conduct visualization, store data sets, and perform other tasks that are too large or complex to do on a local computer.

For example, researchers often come to ARC if they have:

  • Very large jobs to run (e.g., high resolution or large-scale datasets)
  • Many jobs to run (parameter sweeps, many datasets)
  • Need for specialty hardware (GPU, memory, high bandwidth storage, fast network, scale)

Additionally, ARC's resources for data storage and sharing can make it much easier for researchers from different disciplines or in different locations to collaborate on a project.

How to get started with ARC

If you are interested in using ARC's resources for your current or future projects, or if you would just like to learn more about our computing systems and services, please request a consultation or drop by our office hours.

You do not need to have any prior experience with high-performance computing — our team can assist you in determining the right system for your project. We also offer introductory training sessions throughout the year via the TLOS Professional Development Network, and our computational scientists are available for classroom presentations on HPC.

Is there a cost to use ARC's systems?

ARC's systems and services are available to all Virginia Tech faculty at no cost. However, researchers and groups have the option to add compute costs to grants or contracts through ARC's Cost Center, which allows usage of additional compute or storage resources for a fee. Departments and faculty can also purchase priority access to an ARC system for up to five years through ARC's Investment Computing Program.

Helpful resources for new ARC users: