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Cultivating Multidisciplinary Research and Education on GPU Infrastructure for Mid-South Institutions at the University of Memphis: Practice and Challenge

Mayira Sharif, Guangzeng Han, Weisi Liu, Xiaolei Huang

TL;DR

The paper addresses the inequitable access to GPU-based CI for Mid-South institutions by describing the iTiger regional GPU cluster and its NSF MRI-backed establishment. It presents a multi-pronged approach—research seed funding (TNAIR), broad training programs, and curriculum integration—to accelerate CI adoption and cultivate regional AI talent. Key contributions include evidence of increasing regional engagement, concrete research outcomes, and practical lessons on sustainability, adoption, and support in a resource-constrained setting. The work demonstrates how a regional CI initiative can catalyze workforce development and cross-institutional collaboration, offering a scalable model for similar underserved regions. The practical impact lies in expanding access to high-performance computing resources and fostering a sustainable ecosystem for AI-enabled research and education in the Mid-South.

Abstract

To support rapid scientific advancement and promote access to large-scale computing resources for under-resourced institutions at the Mid-South region, the University of Memphis (UofM) established the first regional mid-scale GPU cluster, iTiger, a valuable high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure. In this study, we present our continuous efforts to manage the critical cyberinfrastructure and provide essential computing supports for educators, students, and researchers in AI, data sciences, and related scientific fields in the Mid-South region, such as precision agriculture, smart transportation, and health informatics. We outline our initiatives to broaden CI adoptions across regional computing-related scientific and engineering fields, such as seed grant, workshop trainings, course integration, and other outreach activities. While we've observed promising outcomes of regional CI adoptions, we will discuss insights and challenges of Mid-South CI users, which can inspire other institutions to implement similar programs.

Cultivating Multidisciplinary Research and Education on GPU Infrastructure for Mid-South Institutions at the University of Memphis: Practice and Challenge

TL;DR

The paper addresses the inequitable access to GPU-based CI for Mid-South institutions by describing the iTiger regional GPU cluster and its NSF MRI-backed establishment. It presents a multi-pronged approach—research seed funding (TNAIR), broad training programs, and curriculum integration—to accelerate CI adoption and cultivate regional AI talent. Key contributions include evidence of increasing regional engagement, concrete research outcomes, and practical lessons on sustainability, adoption, and support in a resource-constrained setting. The work demonstrates how a regional CI initiative can catalyze workforce development and cross-institutional collaboration, offering a scalable model for similar underserved regions. The practical impact lies in expanding access to high-performance computing resources and fostering a sustainable ecosystem for AI-enabled research and education in the Mid-South.

Abstract

To support rapid scientific advancement and promote access to large-scale computing resources for under-resourced institutions at the Mid-South region, the University of Memphis (UofM) established the first regional mid-scale GPU cluster, iTiger, a valuable high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure. In this study, we present our continuous efforts to manage the critical cyberinfrastructure and provide essential computing supports for educators, students, and researchers in AI, data sciences, and related scientific fields in the Mid-South region, such as precision agriculture, smart transportation, and health informatics. We outline our initiatives to broaden CI adoptions across regional computing-related scientific and engineering fields, such as seed grant, workshop trainings, course integration, and other outreach activities. While we've observed promising outcomes of regional CI adoptions, we will discuss insights and challenges of Mid-South CI users, which can inspire other institutions to implement similar programs.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 13 sections, 4 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Integrating iTiger CI for Regional Research and Education
  3. Research Integration and Funding Initiative
  4. Multi-disciplinary Research
  5. HPC Training and Workshops
  6. CI student recruitment
  7. Curriculum Integration
  8. iTiger CI Adoption and Community Growth
  9. Challenges and Lessons Learned in CI Implementation
  10. CI Sustainability
  11. CI Adoptions and Utilization
  12. CI User Support
  13. Discussion and Future Work

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: A diagram featuring our strategies on CI adoption and workforce development.
  • Figure 2: Research fields frequency of iTiger collected from user survey
  • Figure 3: User growth and job count.
  • Figure 4: Increasing iTiger CI adoptions across Mid-South Partner Institutions.