The PI Computing Allowance (PCA) is a program that provides up to 500K Service Units (SUs) of free compute time per fiscal year to all qualified Berkeley Lab PIs, where one SU is equivalent to one compute cycle on the latest standard hardware CPU partition. The purpose of the PCA program is to outreach to areas of science where the use of computing to accomplish science is relatively new. Groups that already use HPC for their science are also encouraged to apply. Think of a PCA as a Lawrencium 500K SU gift card.
Allowances are prorated based on month of application during the allowance year. Lawrencium cluster project names for these allocations start with a ‘pc_’ prefix; for example pc_projectname. PIs can also pool their allowances if their groups are working together; however, this must be specified when the allowance is initially setup or during the annual renewal period. Please note that allowances can be shared but are not transferable. To keep computing after your allowance is used up, request a Recharge project. Jobs do not switch to a recharge account automatically.
PIs wanting to obtain access to a PCA for their research can submit a request through the self-service MyLRC user portal. For step-by-step instructions, see Using the MyLRC Portal. Requests for new user accounts, adding and removing users to your PCA project can also be done through the MyLRC user portal.
All Lawrencium logins require multi-factor authentication. See Multi-Factor Authentication to set it up.
As a service provided at no cost to researchers, a PCA does not guarantee access to the full amount of SUs. SUs spent on jobs killed due to unplanned outages cannot be reimbursed. A PCA covers compute time only. Every Lawrencium user account, including PCA users, is charged a separate $25/month account fee. See Charges and Billing.
Renewing Your PI Computing Allowance
Each year, beginning in September, you can submit an application form to renew your PI Computing Allowance through the MyLRC portal. The renewal form is considerably simpler and briefer than the form used to request a first-time Allowance. Links to this renewal application form are typically emailed to Allowance recipients (and to other designated “main contacts” on such accounts) by or before mid-September each year. Renewal applications submitted during September will be processed on October 1st. Those submitted and approved later in the year, after the initial review period (i.e. after Sep 30th), will receive pro-rated allowances of computing time, based on month of application during the allowance year.
Acknowledgments
Please acknowledge Lawrencium in your publications. Acknowledgments help justify ongoing funding for the cluster and its expansion. For the statement to use, see Acknowledging Lawrencium.