Interdisciplinary Teams Win Three Data Storage Awards from Western Digital

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• Katherine Connor- [email protected]

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Fusion Data Platform for AI

Computer scientists, data scientists and researchers at SDSC partnered with General Atomics earlier this year to launch a Fusion Data Science and Digital Engineering Center. The goal is to use AI, ML, digital engineering and high-performance computing to fast-track fusion energy development.

The researchers are creating models of fusion energy based on a mix of simulations and data from the DIII-D tokamak fusion facility at General Atomics, the largest in the country. However, they don't currently have funding to make all of this data available to the AI community at large. Using data storage from the Peak Award, the researchers will host simulations of various fusion energy activity on an Open Science Data Federation platform, opening this data up to the AI community to stimulate fusion science innovations even further.

This project is led by Frank Wuerthwein, SDSC director; with Rose Yu and Sean Gao, associate professors of computer science and engineering; and Igor Sfiligoi and Amit Majumdar also from SDSC.

At UC San Diego, the Fusion Data Science and Digital Engineering Centeris part of the Fusion Engineering Institute.

OpenHeritage 3D: Expeditions into World Cultural Heritage

OpenHeritage 3D, led by the Cultural Heritage Engineering Initiative at the Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego, provides open access to 3D cultural heritage data assets from around the globe for education, research and other non-commercial use. The platform aims to document cultural heritage sites including monuments, historic structures and archeological sites, while maintaining scientific rigor, respecting cultural and ethical sensitivities, enhancing discoverability, and addressing data longevity and archival standards. OpenHeritage 3D [EH1] makes this data open and accessible to all, and removes the barriers for content producers to publish their data. The platform is growing rapidly, and is projecting multi-petabyte storage needs in support of scientifically anchored exploration and storytelling over the next year. Data storage from this Peak Award will create the opportunity to continue to share and digitally preserve the world's most significant cultural assets.

This project is led by Falko Kuester, a professor in the Department of Structural Engineering, with Scott McAvoy and Dominique Rissolo at the Qualcomm Institute.

Spatial Genomics Research

Researchers at the UC San Diego Center for Epigenomics are applying cutting-edge technologies to understand the role of the epigenome - sets of instructions that regulate DNA activities such as when genes are turned on and off - in disease, and develop genetic and epigenetic-based therapeutics. The Center's use of new imaging techniques, including Multiplex Error Robust Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (MERFISH) and Chromatin Tracing, have enhanced epigenomics measurements with unprecedented throughput and spatial resolution. However, the volume of data generated by these imaging techniques is staggering - the researchers estimate a single project will soon generate more than a petabyte of data. The researchers will use the petabyte storage award from Western Digital to modernize their data storage infrastructure. This enhancement will not only bolster their ability to conduct cutting-edge epigenetics research within the Center, but also facilitate broader collaboration with researchers across the UC San Diego campus community and beyond, driving advances in neuroscience, cardiology, developmental biology, immunology and cancer biology.

This project is led by Quan Zhu, director for Spatial and Functional Genomics at the UC San Diego Center for Epigenomics; with Bogdan Bintu, assistant professor in the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering.

"The PEAK Award exemplifies Western Digital's mission to unlock the power of data for the world's most ambitious ideas," saidCarl Che, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Western Digital. "We're proud to support research in biosciences, AI for fusion energy, and digital cultural preservation-projects that push the boundaries of discovery and shape a better future."

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