You might know that Firebird supports various high-performance (HPC) computing workflows, but have you heard of high-throughput (HTC) computing? HPC is useful when a single task requires a substantial amount of computing power to complete; for example, performing complex mathematical … Continue reading High-Throughput Computing on Firebird – and Beyond!
Firebird can now host and run open-source large language models directly on the cluster using Ollama, a tool that makes it straightforward to pull down a model (and Ollama has LOTS of models!) and start working with it. Anyone with … Continue reading Running Open-Source LLMs on Firebird
Summer is a time of heightened research activity among faculty and students. These projects often require specialized computational and data-related resources beyond personal laptops and desktops. Below is an overview of resources available to support your summer research: Firebird is … Continue reading Computational and Data Resources for Summer Research
Google Colab is an online Jupyter Notebook service that can be used for interactive coding in Python, R, and Julia. The notebook interface makes it possible to mix text, code, and graphics. The Pro version, which includes more processing power … Continue reading Google Colab Free for Students and Faculty
Firebird, Swarthmore’s high-performance computing (HPC) cluster, is completing its first full calendar year in service, and what a year it’s been! In 2025, the user communities from both Swarthmore and Lafayette College collectively ran more than 459,000 jobs, totaling over … Continue reading Firebird: 2025 in Review
We are excited to announce that Globus is now available for testing and use in conjunction with the Firebird HPC cluster. Globus “lets you efficiently, securely, and reliably transfer data directly between systems separated by an office wall or an … Continue reading Globus Now Available for Use with Firebird
