Industrial Partners

TACC invites companies at all levels to collaborate in advancing innovation and competitiveness through high performance computing. We offer a range of services to industry, including access to systems, software and expertise, with discounts and supplemental services offered to our STAR partners. Please contact Melyssa Fratkin for additional information.

The Science and Technology Affiliates for Research (STAR) Program offers opportunities for companies to increase their effectiveness through advanced computing technologies. The mission of this program is to promote a mutually beneficial exchange between industry and academia in advanced computing techniques and technologies, and at the same time foster a framework for technology innovation and support economic development in the state of Texas and across the nation. Through this program, TACC and the STAR participants will advance fundamental and applied research and development in the areas of science, technology, and engineering, among others.

TACC offers unique and valuable expertise in the field of advanced computing, with expert staff who conduct groundbreaking research in high performance computing, scientific visualization and data analysis, distributed and collaborative computing, and high bandwidth networking. This depth and breadth of experience provides the foundation for building strong research and development relationships that result in enhanced R&D programs for the participant.

The STAR program delivers exceptional value to its members by developing a strong relationship that provides a wide range of benefits, ensuring maximum flexibility, creating meaningful collaborations with researchers, and lowering the barriers for effective use of TACC’s advanced computing resources and services. Membership requires a minimum one-year commitment.

Technology companies benefit from collaborating with TACC to develop and evaluate prototypes of hardware and software, leveraging TACC’s systems and expertise for better exploration of users’ needs.

STAR members are invited to attend training sessions and STAR workshops, and receive recognition on the TACC Web site and in TACC publications.  Beyond the initial membership, participants are invited to engage in sponsored research activities, where they can utilize TACC's advanced computing systems. Individuals and organizations inexperienced in advanced computing should speak with the STAR program coordinator about training opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills required for active, constructive participation.

Member benefits include:

• Participation in the annual STAR Member Workshop in the fall, which promotes information sharing and knowledge transfer between TACC and STAR affiliates, and among the affiliates themselves.
• Participation in bi-monthly STAR Working Sessions, where TACC staff and STAR partner representatives will share information on recent challenges, solutions, and lessons learned on a variety of topics, including:
  • Building next generation data centers
  • Interconnects (InfiniBand, 10GbEthernet, etc.)
  • Large scale data management - challenges & solutions
  • Optimization & tuning for multi-core; tools & techniques
  • System Health Monitoring - error detection; MTBF
  • Cloud Computing
  • Remote Visualization - performance, stability; VNC/OpenGL
• Attendance at annual training sessions and workshops. These classes allow members to upgrade and develop new skills in high-end computing, scientific visualization and data analysis, code optimization, and distributed and collaborative computing.
• Access to well-trained, high-quality undergraduate and graduate students for internships and full-time positions.
• Access to TACC publications and reports.

Additionally, STAR members may negotiate sponsored research projects, to include:

• Access to TACC advanced computational resources, visualization and data analysis systems, and storage resources for conducting scientific research, developing high-end software, and solving complex problems.
• Technical support to resolve general issues that may occur with TACC resources.
• Individualized application and technology consulting to help companies find solutions for their unique business challenges, including assistance with porting, tuning, and optimization, and parallel performance analysis.
• Custom software development, including new tools, methods, and techniques in high performance computing, distributed and collaborative computing, and visualization and data analysis.

TACC works with STAR program participants to tailor the program to their unique needs and goals. Small firms and start-ups may be invited to join at a reduced rate. For sponsored research projects, additional fees are determined by the combination of optional components negotiated by the participant. Membership fees are pro-rated based on entry into the program, and may be adjusted as TACC upgrades its systems and software.

For more information on the STAR Program, please contact Melyssa Fratkin at mfratkin(at)tacc.utexas(dot)edu or 512-471-9961.

Technology Alliances

World-class technology partners play a key role in development, deployment, and operation of TACC's terascale computational infrastructure. Working closely with our Technology Alliance partners, TACC is better able to pursue cutting-edge research and development and provide our scientific community with the highest performance advanced computing resources available.