Important changes to RWTH-s project application procedures with AI/ML focus
Dear cluster user,
As you know, our HPC cluster operates under a 1-cluster-concept [1], integrating multiple funding sources with distinct budget allocations:
- NHR share (Tier-2)
- Local RWTH-specific projects (Tier-3)
- AI Service Center WestAI projects
For detailed information on compute time project catalogs, resource contingents, conditions, and application instructions, please refer to our documentation [2].
Current Situation and New Application Guidelines
The RWTH-s (Tier-3) project quota for our machine learning segment (GPU partition) is still overbooked. To address this imbalance, we will implement the following changes for new RWTH-S project applications, effective August 18th, 2026. Existing granted projects will not be affected.
1) Apply for a WestAI Project when:
- You require only GPU resources (no additional CPU resources required).
- Your project involves Machine Learning (ML) or Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods.
Note:
- We will formally reject all RWTH-S applications with a clear ML / AI context and kindly ask you to resubmit as WestAI project.
- WestAI projects can be submitted as extensions/prolongations of existing RWTH-S projects, allowing you to retain your current project directories and submit scripts
- WestAI projects offer the additional benefit of selecting between CL*AIX-2023 and CLAIX-2025 GPU nodes, an option not available for RWTH-S projects.
2) Apply for an RWTH-S project when:
- You require CPU-only resources in the HPC segment (CPU partition).
- You require GPU resources, but your project has *no* ML/AI context.
For further questions or clarifications, please contact our service desk at servicedesk@itc.rwth-aachen.de
Kind regards,
Your HPC Team
[1] https://www.hpc.itc.rwth-aachen.de/cms/hpc/systeme-services/systeme/~bcmmlp/betriebskonzept/?lidx=1
[2] https://help.itc.rwth-aachen.de/service/rhr4fjjutttf/article/45825b06afb647e194be4a5b9f5b8768/
New Metadata Profile
A corresponding metadata profile is now available for researchers in the fields of materials science and engineering: NFDI-MatWerk Basic Profile. The metadata profile is based on the minimum metadata set for researchers from NFDI-MatWerk, which the consortium’s experts have agreed upon. The terms used are primarily based on the MatWerk Ontology v2. The metadata profile offers researchers in the aforementioned fields a generic approach that can be expanded with additional metadata fields as needed.
Beta Preview: Terminology Search in the TS4NFDI Incubator
The TS4NFDI Incubator now offers an initial beta version of a terminology search for ontology terms. Users can search for specific terms, browse the results by page, use search suggestions, and filter by term type and ontology. Additionally, further information such as descriptions, IRIs, and associated ontology metadata is displayed. Selected terms can be transferred directly from the search results to the vocabulary’s term selection.
Please note that this feature is currently still in an early beta and testing phase. The search results and metadata may not yet be complete or reliable in all cases. Additionally, occasional errors may still occur.
We welcome feedback from the community to help us further develop and improve the terminology search. If you notice that a specific ontology is missing, please feel free to let us know. We welcome suggestions for additional ontologies via e-mail.
Upcoming Discontinuation of Single Sign-on Login
We have already announced through various channels that the Single Sign-On login will be discontinued later this year. The transition is now approaching: The deactivation of the current login method is scheduled for August.
All users who have logged in using this method and have not yet linked their accounts have already been notified of the upcoming change via email. In this newsletter, we would also like to remind you once again that you should link your accounts as soon as possible to ensure continued access to your projects.
You can find instructions for linking accounts in our documentation.
Notification and UI Improvements (v1.22.0)
Bug Fixes and Improvements:
- Improved the design of modal dialogs, especially on mobile devices.
- Setup administrators who are not members of any active group can now still select all groups.
- Fixed an issue in the API key modal where the group name could be displayed in the wrong language.
- Fixed an issue that prevented Hard Limit notification emails from being sent correctly.
Release Notes Version 2.56.2 – Enrollment certificate for students
New Feature:
- Enrollment certificate for students is now available
Improvements and bug fixes:
- Various bug fixes
Azure Dev Tools for Teaching Has Been Discontinued
Microsoft discontinued the “Azure Dev Tools for Teaching” service on August 7, 2025. For this reason, we’ve summarized the most important information for you here.
Access for students:
Students can still access the tools they need. To do so, they simply continue to use the Azure for Students.
Access for Educators:
Unfortunately, the program has been completely discontinued for educators. Microsoft has not provided a direct replacement for these specific tools. Consequently, access is no longer available.
Already Installed Software:
However, any programs you have already installed via “Azure Dev Tools for Teaching” should continue to work.
Changes to default partition for Claix jobs that do not define it.
Dear HPC Users,
With the introduction of Claix 2025, we have changed the way default partitions are defined for jobs that provide none.
Prior to this change, the default partition was statically defined for all Slurm project accounts. A job submitted without a partition would fall back to this hard-coded default partition.
This has now changed. We now take a best-effort approach to define the default partition for each job dynamically, based on the login / submit node from which the job was submitted, the account used and the resources requested.
Jobs submitted from Claix23 machines will set a default c23ms partition for CPU only jobs and c23g partition for GPU jobs.
The same will now happen with jobs submitted from Claix25 machines (c25ms and c25g).
IH projects and login nodes will also be taken into account.
We still ask for users to try and explicitly define partitions for their jobs to avoid any undesired behaviors.
The best practice is therefore still to define partitions in the jobs explicitly.
This change should not affect the majority of jobs or how they are billed.
Overleaf: Automated Check of the Terms of Use
Overleaf has been technically adjusted. Compliance with the applicable terms of use is now filtered and checked automatically. As a result, an automated process replaces the previous manual filtering. This consequently supports a reliable, efficient, and consistent implementation of the intended framework conditions.
The automated verification process prevents individuals who do not have “Employee” status from accessing the system as soon as they log in.
Design Improvements and Bug Fixes (v1.21.0)
Bugfixes and Improvements:
- Improved the overall modal design, especially for mobile devices
- Enhanced the design of the error modal
- Free models can now continue to be used even after the hard limit has been reached
- Fixed an issue where chat titles would sometimes only appear after reloading the page
