MoA paves way for HPC cooperation between Russia and South Africa

Representatives of the Research Computing Center of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University and the CHPC signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) on 24 June 2009 during the 2009 International Supercomputing Conference (ISC'09) held in Hamburg, Germany.

Signatories at the event were Professor Alexander Tikhonravov, Director, Research Computing Center (RCC), Moscow State University, Moscow; Dr Happy Sithole, director, CHPC; Professor Vladimir Voevodin, Deputy Director, RCC, and Professor Colin Wright, acting manager: cyberinfrastructure of the CSIR's Meraka Institute.

The MoA paves the way for collaboration between these two bodies in the field of high performance computing. More specifically, both parties will work towards close and mutually beneficial relationships to promote joint research and development projects and exchange of students, scientists and researchers, with a particular emphasis on training programmes.

The MoA has also defined priority areas for joint activities, in particular the domains of advanced computing engineering, high performance computing applications, optimisation techniques, parallel programming technologies, educational courses development and other possible applications for computer technologies. Fostering of innovation remains an important aim to promote the inclusion of business ideas and plans in these activities.

The signing of the MoA was followed by a visit to the RCC by Sithole and Wright during September 2009.