Physicists searching for sub-atomic particles. Economists studying the stock market to model the global effects of capital flow. Scholars experimenting with new approaches to gain insights into the canon of great literary works.

Such research can require the analysis of petabytes of data and intricate mathematical calculations that could take years to perform on even the most sophisticated desktop computer. At the Centre for Advanced Computing (CAC), researchers can do it in weeks, days, hours, or even seconds. The Centre has the capacity to provide researchers with the full range of computing support they need − from thousands of processors running for weeks on a single application, to subject matter technical assistance in optimizing their code. The Centre also has the ability to work with streaming data coming from sources as diverse as neonatal intensive care units in hospitals to underground neutrino observatories.

For medical and scientific researchers working with private health information, the CAC offers the most secure academic research environment in Canada. The centre conforms to the PHIPA, HIPPA, and ISO 27002 standards.

Canada today stands on the verge of becoming a true knowledge economy, one led by its academic researchers across a wide range of disciplines utilizing advanced computing infrastructure. The Centre for Advanced Computing is helping bring this vision to reality.