Skip to main content

Research Computing Data Core

  1. UH Home
  2. Division of Research
  3. Research Computing Data Core
  4. Resources
  5. NSF ACCESS

Resources

Any questions?
 

We will be happy to answer any questions you may have about this resource at contact@hpedsi.uh.edu.

Something not working as expected? Please fill in the support ticket.

NSF ACCESS

Unlock National-Scale High-Performance Computing and Data Resources for Your Research

Through the NSF ACCESS program, University of Houston faculty in data science, AI/ML, computational modeling, and high-performance computing can tap into the nation’s most advanced cyberinfrastructure at no cost to you or your grants. Whether you need massive GPU power for training large models, petabyte-scale storage for big data analytics, or elastic cloud resources for workflows, NSF ACCESS complements our local Research Computing Data Core systems and scales your research beyond campus limits.

Get Started

What is NSF ACCESS?

The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support (ACCESS) program provides eligible U.S. researchers and educators with free access to a distributed national network of advanced computing systems and services.

It is open to faculty, researchers, and graduate students with or without external grants. ACCESS provides high-performance computing and data resources, making cutting-edge tools available across disciplines. It serves as a powerful extension to our Research Computing Data Core, enabling projects that require scale beyond campus capacity.

Key Benefits for UH Faculty in Data Science & HPC

  • Zero direct cost: All resources are NSF-funded.
  • Scale beyond local limits: Tackle jobs requiring thousands of cores, specialized GPUs, or massive storage.
  • GPU-rich environments optimized for AI/ML model training and large-scale data analytics.
  • Flexible storage and cloud options for big-data management and reproducible workflows.
  • Comprehensive support including help tickets, Campus Champions, training, and workflow tools.

ACCESS Success Stories & Highlights: See how researchers across the country are using ACCESS to advance discovery.

Available Resources

ACCESS connects you to a wide variety of national computing systems, including high-performance CPU and GPU clusters, large-scale storage, cloud infrastructure, and specialized resources for data-intensive and AI workloads.

Browse the full, up-to-date Resource Catalog (filter by GPU availability, software, etc.): → https://allocations.access-ci.org/resources

Use the ACCESS Resource Advisor to match your project needs to the best systems.

Getting Started

  1. Create your free ACCESS account (if you don’t have one) of Log In.
  2. Explore resources using the Resource Catalog and Resource Advisor.
  3. Choose the right allocation type (based on scale):
    • EXPLORE — Small-scale, fast review (1–2 business days). Ideal for new projects or benchmarking.
    • DISCOVER — Modest needs (1-page proposal).
    • ACCELERATE — Mid-scale (3-page proposal).
    • MAXIMIZE — Largest projects (detailed proposal, bi-annual review).
  4. Submit your request at the Allocations Portal.

Start with an EXPLORE allocation if you’re new. it’s the quickest way to test resources.