National Computational Infrastructure

What if we could “listen” to the Earth to see what’s beneath our feet? 🌏🔬

Researchers at Geoscience Australia are using ambient noise tomography to turn background seismic noise into detailed 3D images of Australia’s crust and mantle, revealing basin structures, mineral potential, and the deep architecture of the continent.

This massive data-driven effort is powered by the National Computational Infrastructure, with the Gadi supercomputer enabling the processing of 100,000+ seismic station correlations to build a national-scale subsurface model.

Read more:

Imaging Australia’s crust and mantle with ambient noise tomography using NCI | NCI Continental-scale ambient noise tomography of Australia is being undertaken by the passive seismic imaging team at Geoscience Australia using data from a variety of sources; the AusArray seismic network, Geoscience Australia’s permanent network, the Seismometers in Schools network, and legacy seis...

Behind every climate forecast, every medical breakthrough, every map of the universe, there’s infrastructure making it possible.
NCI exists to make sure Australian researchers have what they need to tackle the problems that matter most. Not just computing power, but the expertise, the data, and the support to go further.
Our 2025 Annual Report is out. It’s the story of what happens when a nation invests in its research future.

🔗 Read full report here :https://nci.org.au/sites/default/files/annual-reports/2026-06/NCI%20Annual%20Report%202025%20final.pdf

🚀 Big win for Australia’s national research infrastructure, and a step forward in a rapidly growing demand landscape.

Outcomes from the 2025 NCRIS Step Change funding round are in, and it’s a strong result for national supercomputing.
NCI has secured $32.16M to develop a National AI/ML Compute Capability, in partnership with Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre and the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), strengthening Australia’s sovereign compute and data capabilities for AI and data-intensive research. This investment will also support critical upgrades to core infrastructure across the ecosystem, helping improve resilience, scalability, and service capacity over the next phase of growth.

At the same time, demand for national supercomputing continues to significantly outpace supply, with the allocation scheme heavily oversubscribed and many high-quality projects unable to secure access due to limited capacity. This funding is an important step in addressing that gap, but also highlights the scale of the challenge ahead as Australia works to remain globally competitive in advanced computing and AI.

💡 Overall, this round represents meaningful progress for the NCRIS network and the research communities we support, while reinforcing the importance of sustained, forward-looking investment in Australia’s sovereign digital research infrastructure.

Please read more of the announcement here:
https://www.education.gov.au/download/20416/ncris-2025-26-funding-opportunity-funding-projects/44911/document/pdf

Looking to access NCI HPCD resources?✨🚀💻

Applications are now open for the ADAPTER 2026 Allocation Scheme!!!!

ADAPTER 2026 provides merit-based access to NCI’s Gadi supercomputer, with up to 200 KSU per quarter available to support your research.

Prospective applicants are requested to go through the following before submitting an application: https://opus.nci.org.au/spaces/Help/pages/523534421/ADAPTER+2026+Allocation+Scheme

We were excited to welcome the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering (ATSE) team to NCI for a tour of our supercomputing facility 💻✨

ATSE is exploring how Australia can better understand and respond to cybersecurity risks across critical infrastructure sectors including freight, water, energy, and healthcare 🚛💧⚡🏥 Their work focuses on practical, actionable solutions to strengthen national resilience against evolving cyber threats.

The visit highlighted how HPC supports secure, resilient systems, from large-scale data processing to modelling and risk analysis that underpin critical infrastructure protection 🔐📊

Great to showcase how NCI enables the research and capability helping keep Australia’s essential systems secure and future-ready 🚀

What if the future of clean energy depended on better batteries? 🔋⚡

Researchers at Deakin University are using NCI’s advanced computational infrastructure to develop next-generation batteries that charge faster, last longer, and support Australia’s transition to net zero. 🌱

Led by Dr Fangfang Chen, the research is unlocking new battery materials at the molecular level, helping power the future of clean energy storage and electric vehicles.

Read more: https://nci.org.au/research/case-studies/nci-supported-research-developing-high-performance-batteries-a-greener-future

Do not forget to register before the deadline **22nd May 2026

Looking to connect, learn and share ideas in the Women's HPC community? 🌏💻

The Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC+) Australasia (WHPC AusNZ+) hosts fortnightly community chats open to everyone, from technical discussions and knowledge sharing to broader conversations around HPC, AI, diversity and inclusion.

Upcoming May chats:
📅 Tuesday 12 May
📅 Tuesday 26 May

WHPC AusNZ+ welcomes people from all backgrounds and perspectives beyond gender to help foster a more diverse and inclusive HPC community.

📧 Questions or interested in joining? Contact: [email protected]

Do not forget to register before the deadline **22nd May 2026

🚀 Calling all students in APAC!
Join the 2026 APAC HPC‑AI Competition and tackle real-world challenges on advanced supercomputing systems.

Choose your track:
- HPC: Optimise OpenFOAM simulations
- AI: Boost Qwen LLM inference performance

***Deadline: 22 May 2026

Register here: https://www.hpcadvisorycouncil.com/events/2026/APAC-AI-HPC/register.php