Nokia and Hypertec power new Nibi AI supercomputer

Nokia and Hypertec Group have completed the deployment of the Nibi supercomputing cluster at the University of Waterloo. The system will be integrated into SHARCNET, one of Canada's main academic high-performance computing environments. The project will serve more than 4,000 researchers annually, supporting workloads in health research, climate science, engineering, and artificial intelligence.

Nibi marks Nokia's first deployment in North America of this class of AI-HPC data centre networking, with Hypertec acting as system architect and prime integrator.

Network Design

The deployment moved the supercomputer to an Ethernet-based interconnect, with Nokia supplying data centre fabric and IP networking, while Hypertec led data centre design, system integration, and immersion cooling.

"With the Nibi supercomputer, we made the move to an Ethernet-based interconnect, and the combined solution delivered by Hypertec and Nokia proved to be a perfect fit," said John Morton, Director of Technology, SHARCNET. "Nokia's performance networking combined with Hypertec's system integration expertise gives our research community the scalability, reliability, and performance needed to support a wide range of demanding workloads."

Research Capacity

The University of Waterloo positioned Nibi as an expansion of its computational research resources.

"The Nibi supercomputer significantly expands Waterloo's capacity to support advanced computational research. By working with Nokia and Hypertec, we gain access to world-class AI and high-performance computing infrastructure that combines scalable system design with high-performance Ethernet networking, advancing the next generation of Canadian research and reinforcing Waterloo's long-standing leadership in computation," said Charmaine Dean, Vice-President, Research and Professor, Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Waterloo.

Hypertec Perspective

"This collaboration with Nokia proves that Canada can design and deploy AI and high-performance computing infrastructure at the highest global standards," said Mike Marracino, President, Hypertec Solutions Partner (HSP). "Hypertec works with universities, enterprises, and governments around the world on the most demanding AI workloads. Bringing that capability to SHARCNET gives Canadian researchers truly world-class infrastructure and strengthens Canada's competitiveness in advancing research and AI."

Canadian Footprint

Nokia noted that the deployment reinforces its presence in Canada, building on a recent expansion in Ottawa. Tracing its Canadian roots to Newbridge Networks and later corporate changes culminating in the Alcatel-Lucent acquisition, Nokia now employs more than 2,700 people nationwide.

"This project will be key to maintaining Canada's global leadership in computer science and innovation in the AI era. This is a very important day for Nokia Canada, and we are looking forward to more exciting joint projects with Hypertec Group, SHARCNET, and the University of Waterloo," said Jeff Maddox, President, Nokia Canada.

Nokia's Data Centre Fabric uses a modern network operating system and an architecture that integrates with existing data centre ecosystems, employing automation to reduce human error. Nibi now sits within SHARCNET's broader infrastructure base, serving a wide range of high-demand research workloads across Canada.