The Victorian Partnership for Advanced Computing (VPAC) was a leading, independent advanced computing R&D service provider and not-for-profit research agency established in 2000 by a consortium of Victorian universities:

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn P ...

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 196 ...

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

RMIT University RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public university, public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering cla ...

, Swinburne University of Technology,

The University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

, University of Ballarat, Victoria University. VPAC provided expert services, training and support in

high-performance computing High-performance computing (HPC) uses supercomputers and computer clusters to solve advanced computation problems. Overview HPC integrates systems administration (including network and security knowledge) and parallel programming into a multi ...

as well as professional research and development services in the application of advanced computing in the fields of

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

geospatial Geographic data and information is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as data and information having an implicit or explicit association with a location relative to Earth (a geographic location or geographic position). It is also ca ...

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, th ...

, astrophysical research and

grid computing Grid computing is the use of widely distributed computer resources to reach a common goal. A computing grid can be thought of as a distributed system with non-interactive workloads that involve many files. Grid computing is distinguished from ...

to over 800 researchers from universities and research institutes across Victoria, as well as its sister organisation in other states. VPAC specialists also provided HPC support to multinational vendors and their customers across Australia. VPAC worked together wit
the Victorian eResearch Strategic Initiative
to promote the uptake of advanced computing in Australian scientific research and development, and the two organisations merged to form the V3 Alliance in 2013. V3 HPC operations, HPC support, and academic advanced computing initiatives were rolled into the Victorian universities and ceased operation as an independent entity in December 2015. VPAC's engineering arm worked with many major Australian and multinational companies in the optimisation and refinement of products through the use of HPC, and that group continues business as VPAC-Innovations. In 2011, it was announced that VPAC,

and

Australian Synchrotron ANSTO's Australian Synchrotron is a 3 GeV national synchrotron radiation facility located in Clayton, in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, which opened in 2007. ANSTO's Australian Synchrotron is a light source facility (in co ...

had chosen an IBM iDataPlex dx360 M3 for the Multi-modal Australian Sciences Imaging and Visualisation Environment (MASSIVE) facility.

Mission statement

VPACs mission was to promote the use of Advanced Computing amongst Australian researchers. VPAC operated a state of the art, internationally recognised Supercomputing Facility featuring High Performance Computing Clusters and Software, Advanced Visualisation and Collaboration Tools and Grid Resources, as well as provided consulting services and expertise for applications.

References

External links

* http://www.vpac-innovations.com.au {{DEFAULTSORT:Victorian Partnership For Advanced Computing Education in Victoria (state) Scientific organisations based in Australia Non-profit organisations based in Victoria (state)