ACENET
At the forefront of accelerating discovery
You can hear the excitement in Greg Lukeman’s voice as he talks about ACENET and its growth over the past two decades.
The CEO has good reason to bask in the accomplishments of his organization. What began as a consortium of 7 Atlantic Canadian universities collaborating to meet their own supercomputing needs, has grown into a regional leader in advanced research support. To date, ACENET has served 4,000 clients, trained more than 14,000 learners, established institutional partnerships with almost all the region’s accredited universities and community colleges, and supports more than 400 principal investigators and 1,300 researchers, non-profits and businesses across a variety of sectors.
The last 20 years have been a challenging but exhilarating journey that started with 4 employees. Now there are 24 throughout Atlantic Canada.
“Right from the beginning, ACOA was the partner that ‘got it,’ ” Lukeman said. “It was a great collaborator in connecting us with projects throughout our growth cycle – expanding computing infrastructure, training and expertise. Having that market knowledge was really a great help.”
Lukeman notes that ACOA support was instrumental in 2019 when the organization’s original 5 systems from 2003 were being decommissioned. To maintain an infrastructure presence in Atlantic Canada, ACENET built another high-performance computer cluster at Memorial University, this time with a broader mandate: to support commercialization by helping companies access advanced computer power and related services.
One key to the organization’s enduring success, says Lukeman, is the wide range of sectors that benefit from ACENET’s tech-savvy expertise: life sciences, energy, ocean sciences, advanced manufacturing and health. Projects powered by its computing capacity range from developing lighter aerospace materials, engineering ship propellers, creating green energy alternatives, and informing public policy on nutrition.
Home-grown research
What makes ACENET’s services so valuable to institutions like the University of Moncton is the level of support it provides its clients. Remi Richard, Director of the University’s Innovation Support Office, said ACENET’s services have helped the smaller institution strengthen its industry partnerships.
“ACENET is an enabler,” explains Richard. “Having access to their computing power has allowed our researchers to take on major R&D projects with local industrial partners. With these services, we've been able to retain and attract world-class researchers, both in AI, robotics and now quantum computing.”
One of those world-class researchers is Dr. Sid Ahmed Selouani. He and his team support industry partners by developing machine learning tools for more accurate seafood classification, improving the safety of industrial robots by monitoring stress and cognitive load, and working with telepathology labs to reduce diagnostic errors by verifying tissue-organ matches.
What’s next?
Having celebrated ACENET’s 20th anniversary, Lukeman says it’s the perfect time to reassess the organization’s goals and direction. “When you position yourself at the edge of computing, you’re always prepared to be surprised because technology moves so quickly.”
Lukeman knows better than most how quickly technology can shift, thanks to his work with the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. The organization recently launched cross-country consultations to inform its proposal on the AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program, part of Canada’s Sovereign AI Compute Infrastructure Strategy, with Lukeman helping lead the proposal development for AI infrastructure. He is not surprised that AI and quantum computing are quickly becoming the focus for researchers and companies.
While there are no quantum computers in Atlantic Canada, ACENET is partnered with organizations that have them. Last year, ACENET was able to secure training for 12 researchers on those quantum computers, laying the groundwork for new opportunities in quantum-enabled research in Atlantic Canada.
What makes Lukeman excited to come to work each day is the thrill of being at the forefront of accelerated discovery, alongside a team culture that thrives on collaboration.
“The fact that such a dedicated, talented and collaborative team chooses to work for ACENET in Atlantic Canada in support of research and industry development, is a vocation for them. It has made it possible for ACENET to punch above its weight and continue to advance academic research while also finding new ways to extend the benefit to commercial and business spaces. It’s an exciting time.”