Is it right for you?
A good fit
- Work that outgrows campus resources, or needs systems we do not have
- Classes, workshops and student projects (small Explore projects)
- Researchers comfortable working on a remote system with its own rules
Not a fit
- Data that ACCESS resource providers do not permit (check each provider's policy)
- Work that must start today; requests are reviewed first
- Long-term storage of research data
What it is
ACCESS (Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services and Support) is the National Science Foundation's program for national research computing. It awards allocations on supercomputers, GPU systems, storage and research clouds run by resource providers around the country. It continues the work of the earlier XSEDE program.
Project types
ACCESS offers four project sizes. Explore suits evaluating resources, student projects, classes and code development. Discover suits modest grant-funded needs. Accelerate suits mid-scale needs. Maximize is for the largest requests, reviewed on a fixed schedule. Starting small and growing is common. ACCESS publishes the current limits and review cycles on its allocations site.
Cost
UCR does not recharge for ACCESS allocations, and ACCESS awards them rather than selling them. Each resource provider's own policies apply to how an allocation may be used.
How to get started
KB009: Using NSF ACCESS and Jetstream2 walks through the whole process yourself, from creating an ACCESS account to launching a first Jetstream2 virtual machine. Research Computing is happy to look over a request with you. Contact us.