---
title: "Request an HPC@UC allocation on Expanse at SDSC"
date: 2026-08-25
categories: [hpc, sdsc]
description: "How UC researchers can request a 500K core-hour allocation on SDSC's Expanse supercomputer through the HPC@UC program, including eligibility, the application process, and trial accounts."
layout: post
---

If you are a researcher at any University of California campus and need more computing power, the HPC@UC program at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) gives you an accelerated and simple path to a substantial allocation on the Expanse supercomputer. This post explains what HPC@UC offers, who is eligible, and how to apply in 2026.

## What is HPC@UC?

HPC@UC is a partnership between SDSC, the University of California Vice Chancellors of Research, and campus Chief Information Officers. It is designed to:

- Broaden the base of UC researchers who use advanced computing
- Provide an on-ramp for UC researchers who are new to high-performance computing
- Seed promising computational research
- Facilitate collaborations between SDSC and UC researchers
- Help UC researchers be successful when applying for larger allocations through the NSF's [ACCESS program](https://access-ci.org/)

## Resources available

A successful request gives you access to SDSC's HPC infrastructure and expertise:

- **Expanse**: SDSC's flagship 5+ PFlop/s system, with 728 CPU nodes (two 64-core AMD EPYC 7742 processors and 256 GB memory per node), 4 large-memory nodes with 2 TB memory, and 52 GPU nodes. See the [Expanse page](https://www.sdsc.edu/systems/expanse/index.html) for details.
- **Data storage**: more than 12 PB of fast Lustre parallel storage, including short-term Performance Storage and long-term Project Storage, plus a Durable Storage copy of Project Storage data.
- **Software**: a large installed base of HPC and big-data analytics applications.
- **Expertise**: SDSC staff to help you make the best use of the resources and prepare larger allocation requests.

## Allocation details

- **Size**: up to 500K core-hours of computing, plus associated data storage and access to SDSC expertise.
- **Duration**: awards are active for one year.
- **Review**: applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis; you are notified within 10 business days of the review decision.

### Eligibility

- The program is intended for UC researchers who are **new to high-performance computing**.
- You must **not** have an active award in the NSF's [ACCESS program](https://access-ci.org/).
- You must **not** have previously received an HPC@UC award on Expanse.

## How to apply

1. **Create an ACCESS account** at [https://identity.access-ci.org/new-user](https://identity.access-ci.org/new-user). Eligibility is evaluated through the ACCESS review infrastructure (XRAS), so you need an ACCESS_CI portal account first, as confirmed by the HPC@UC program staff.
2. **Contact HPC@UC** at [hpc_uc@sdsc.edu](mailto:hpc_uc@sdsc.edu), or via the [HPC@UC page](https://www.sdsc.edu/hpc-at-uc.html), and submit a request/help ticket describing your research project so staff can evaluate your eligibility.
3. **Submit your request**: once approved and an opportunity is opened, the ticket is updated with the instructions for submitting your allocation request, including a template to fill in.

## Try Expanse first

If you are not sure Expanse is the right fit, request a **Trial Account** on Expanse before applying for HPC@UC: 1,000 core-hours, typically fulfilled within 1 working day, designed for a quick assessment of the system. You are still eligible for an HPC@UC allocation even if you already have a Trial Account. See the [Trial Account section of the Expanse User Guide](https://www.sdsc.edu/systems/expanse/user_guide.html).

## Related options at SDSC

- **TSCC (Triton Shared Computing Cluster)**: a paid cluster at SDSC; UCSD researchers currently benefit from subsidized costs. See the [TSCC page](https://www.sdsc.edu/systems/tscc/index.html).
- **ACCESS allocations**: for larger, longer-term needs you can apply directly to the [ACCESS program](https://allocations.access-ci.org/). HPC@UC is intended as a stepping stone toward these larger national allocations.

## Notes

This post was written in August 2026 and updates the HPC@UC information in my earlier posts:

- [Bring your computing to the San Diego Supercomputer Center](/posts/2018-10-24-compute-at-sdsc) (2018, now outdated: Comet and XSEDE are retired)
- [How to request High Performance Computing (HPC) resources](/posts/2025-04-19-access-hpc) (2025)

Always cross-check the official [HPC@UC page](https://www.sdsc.edu/hpc-at-uc.html) for the latest information. Questions? Email the HPC@UC team at [hpc_uc@sdsc.edu](mailto:hpc_uc@sdsc.edu).