Supercomputing Division, Information Technology Center, The University Tokyo

Trial Course FAQ

Use of the system

Could you tell me more about trial use course?

From FY2005 to FY2010, the Information Technology Center, the University of Tokyo (hereafter, “the Center”) has been providing application software developed by the University and its supercomputer resources to private corporations as a part of its social contribution efforts, through the support of MEXT’s scheme for commissioning and subsidizing projects. Under this scheme, projects in which private corporations could try out the supercomputers at no charge were set up with support from MEXT. With the conclusion of this program, the Center has launched a paying trial use course for corporations since FY2011. It has been providing services through a trial use course for the Wisteria/BDEC-01 system since FY2021.

The trial course can be used not only by private corporate users, but also by those affiliated with universities and research organizations. By trying out the supercomputer systems, potential users can get a sense of using the computers before making the transition to regular use. The trial course is also expected to further promote the use of computers.
For details, please refer to the webpage on Trial Course.

Are there any conditions for using the trial course?
Anyone with the eligibility for use stipulated in the Terms of Use for Supercomputer Systems of the Information Technology Center, the University of Tokyo, can use the trial use course.

However, depending on the course of use, several conditions must be fulfilled by those affiliated with corporations.

For details, please refer to the section on the corporate use (trial) in “Corporate Use.”
Could you tell me about the cost of use?
Please refer to the cost of use for the trial course.
How and when is the billing carried out for the cost of use?
Invoices are issued for the cost of use as a lump sum in November, December, February, or March, corresponding to the month that you begin using the supercomputer. If you wish to change the billing month, please consult with the Research Support Team, Information Strategy Group, Information Systems Department, The University of Tokyo (Email address for inquiries) before submitting the application for use.
Use the start month April ~ September October ~ December Januarty ~ March
Billng month December February March
(End of month)
Could you tell me about the application method for trial course? Where do I submit inquiries?
The application method and application form are provided in the section on application for use for the “Trial Course.” Please refer to the section for more information.

For those who want to apply, at least one member of a research group requires to take the Parallel programming workshop with trial account of the system the group plans to use.

Please take note of the following when submitting your application.
For inquiries, please contact the reception (Email address for inquiries).

  • Multiple applications for the same computer system are not accepted.
  • Applications are accepted only once. For users affiliated with corporations, only one application is accepted for each department within the same corporation.
When should I submit my application?
Applications are accepted at any time.
For corporate use (trial), ascreening for use by the Screening Committee is carried out four times a year. As the resources available are limited, there may be cases where recruitment is not carried out. For details, please refer to the Screening Schedule for Corporate Use.
Could you tell me the flow of procedures leading up to the trial course of the supercomputer systems?
As the flow of use differs depending on the users and course of use applied for, please refer to the “Flow of use.”
After submitting the application for use, approximately how long will it take for the application to be approved?
For regular use (trial), a notification of user registration will be sent to the applicant about one week after the application has been processed. If the notification of user registration is not sent out more than two weeks after the submission of the application, or if there are any errors in the contents of the notification of user registration, please contact the reception (Email address for inquiries). For corporate use (trial), application is approved only after screening by the Screening Committee for Eligibility. Hence, please take the application period into consideration.
What is the period of use under the trial course?
The period for use lasts until the last day of service for the fiscal year. When submitting your application, you can set the necessary resources (tokens assigned) in one-month units.
What is the maximum number of jobs that can be submitted, and the maximum number of jobs that can be executed simultaneously?
The number of jobs differs depending on the systems used. Please refer to the following table.

◆Wisteria-O System
Group course
User unit Group unit
Maximum number of jobs that can be executed simultaneously No limit 4 for up to two sets of applications
8 for up to 4 sets of applications
16 for up to 8 sets of applications
Thereafter, add 2 jobs per 8 sets
Maximum number of jobs that can be submitted No limit Maximum number of jobs that can be executed simultaneously
× 8
Maximum number of nodes
(Job unit)
2304
◆Wisteria-A System
Group course
User unit Group unit
Maximum number of jobs that can be executed simultaneously No limit 2 for up to 12 sets of applications
4 for up to 24 sets of applications
16 for up to 8 sets of applications
Thereafter, add 1 job per 12 sets, up to a maximum of 10
Maximum number of jobs that can be submitted No limit Maximum number of jobs that can be executed simultaneously
× 2
Maximum number of GPU
(Job unit)
64
Can I add disk storage?
In principle, it is not possible to add disk storage. However, if it is necessary to add disk storage for unavoidable reasons, please contact the reception (Email address for inquiries), providing concrete reasons for doing so as well as the details. Addition of disk storage may be approved based on the screening results.
Is it possible to add tokens?
It is possible to add up to 12 months’ worth of tokens, including the tokens allocated during the application. For details about tokens, please refer to explanations and FAQ about tokens provided on the webpage about “Tokens.”
What should I do if I wish to continue using the supercomputers after the period for trial course has expired?
For the regular use (trial), you can make the transition to the regular use (general). Please complete the procedures by following the application form for continued use sent out around January. Also, for the corporate use (trial), please follow the application procedures of the corporate use (general). For details, please refer to the section on Making the Transition from Trial Use to General Use.
If I exceed the period of use for trial use course, is it possible to back up my files?
The files will be deleted once the period of use expires. Hence, users are advised to back up the important and necessary files before the period of use expires. However, when making the transition to general use, the files will be transferred to the new course of use.

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Use by corporate users

For the workshops where trial accounts are distributed (parallel programming workshops with trial accounts), training is held for Basic MPI, Advanced MPI, use of libraries, and other topics. Which sessions should I attend?
To get a sense of use in a short time, leading up to general use, it is important to acquire the fundamentals of parallel computing. Hence, from that perspective, we recommend attending the Basic MPI workshops. The contents of the lecture and practices cover fundamental parallel programming through MPI. When corporate users apply for the corporate use (trial) , it is mandatory to attend any one of the workshops.
I attended a workshops with a trial account two years ago. Can I apply for the trial use course?
Yes, you can apply for the trial use course.
I am currently working in company A. When I was a student in graduate school, I used the supercomputers at the Information Technology Center, the University of Tokyo. Is it still necessary for me to attend the workshops?
When corporate users use the cotporate use, it is mandatory to attend the workshops where trial accounts are distributed (parallel programming workshops with trial accounts). In addition to familiarizing users with the use of the system, this is also for the purposes of verifying the affiliation of individuals and the personal identify of individuals to omit the screening for user eligibility. Hence, it is still mandatory for you to attend the workshops.
When users affiliated with a corporation apply for the corporate use (trial), is it necessary for all members of the group to attend the workshops?
At least one person who wishes to use the system must have attended the workshop for the system they are applying for.
I am currently working in the X business division of company D. I have previously used corporate use (trial) through factory E of the same company. Can I still use the corporate use (trial) under the X business division?
As these are different departments within the same corporation, you can still use the trial use course.
I used the corporate use (trial) in the G development division of company F. Due to company restructuring, the G development division has been absorbed into the H business division. Can I use the corporate use (trial) under the H business division?
As these are different business divisions, you can still use the corporate use (trial).
I am currently working in company C. Before joining company C, I used the corporate use (trial) while working in company B. As I have changed my affiliation, can I use the corporate use (trial) again?
If the department that you are affiliated with in company C has never used the corporate use (trial) before, use is permitted once the application is approved based on the screening process.

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