[Important: Questionnaire Request] Notice of the Termination of Services for SQUID and ONION

To all University users of the D3 Center supercomputers SQUID and ONION (currently in trial operation)
 
Thank you for your continued use of the SQUID and ONION supercomputers.
As previously announced on this page, SQUID and ONION will continue to be available throughout FY2026, but their services are scheduled to end on June 30, 2027.
  Although there is an urgent need to strengthen computing and data infrastructure for AI for Science, no plans have yet been determined for the introduction of successor systems to SQUID and ONION. Consequently, once the SQUID and ONION services have ended, the D3 Center is unlikely to be able to provide computing resources on a comparable scale. This situation is due not only to the recent rise in semiconductor prices and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, but also to the fact that the University has not yet secured a budget for successor systems to SQUID and ONION. From FY2027 onward, OCTOPUS, which consists of 140 general-purpose CPU nodes, is expected to remain available. However, the termination of the SQUID and ONION services is expected to have a significant impact on the research and development plans of users who rely on GPUs or vector processors.
  
In preparation for the termination of the SQUID and ONION services, we kindly ask you to review your research and development plans and to begin considering, as early as possible, the use of computing resources provided by other universities and institutions, as well as public cloud services.
 
We have also prepared the questionnaire below for our users. We would appreciate it if you could provide information regarding the benefits that the availability of large-scale computing resources such as SQUID and OCTOPUS on campus brings to The University of Osaka, significant outcomes made possible by these resources, and the anticipated impact on your research of the termination of the SQUID and ONION services and the current lack of plans for successor systems. Based on the information you provide, the D3 Center will consider possible measures that may be taken to support users through its large-scale computing systems program.
  

Questionnaire

    Account/User ID
    *Your account or user ID will be used only as a reference within the D3 Center’s large-scale computing systems program. We therefore welcome your candid opinions.
    What benefits or disadvantages do you believe the availability of large-scale computing resources such as SQUID and OCTOPUS brings to The University of Osaka?
    Have any significant outcomes been achieved because large-scale computing resources such as SQUID and OCTOPUS were available? Please describe any notable academic achievements, societal impacts, or other outcomes that may demonstrate their value.
    Please describe any anticipated impacts or concerns regarding the termination of the SQUID service and the unavailability of comparable large-scale computing resources, including effects on the implementation of your research plans or applications for research funding.
    How do you evaluate The University of Osaka’s efforts to maintain and operate large-scale computing systems using government operating grants?
    Would you be willing to support future efforts to advocate for the necessity and importance of large-scale computing systems?
    Additional comments



    Posted : August 04,2026