Platform Overview

Version of 01-Jul-2026

CSCS offers cscs2go as a means to lower barriers and simplify access to world-class HPC and storage services, without having to go through a peer-review process, via the so-called HPC Platform.

Thanks to cscs2go users can move their data, begin their analyses and run their simulations within a few days of the request, with little overhead. Upon registration, a user will be granted a project with disk space for data storage and a quota of node-hours to consume within one year on a CSCS HPC resource. That’s it!

Once a project is enabled, users gain access to the HPC Platform with a variety of supported services, including:

  • Compute: Users get a node-hours allocation on multicore or GPUs to use via a queuing system. Jobs can be submitted using the user's own compiled codes or codes provided by CSCS. I/O operations must utilize the "Scratch" file system, requiring data staging before and after job execution (e.g., utilizing the Data Mover service).
  • Storage: Users get limited space for configuration data and codes in a "Home" file system, and a larger quota in a file system for scientific data and results. Both file systems are automatically backed-up on a daily basis and data can be transferred to and from any remote site using the Data Mover service.
  • Data Science and Machine Learning: A selection of applications is available, leveraging the state-of-the-art HPC environment for data science and machine learning tasks.
  • Inference API: Users access managed inference services leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs) for content generation via Internet-accessible APIs. These OpenAI and Anthropic-compatible endpoints provide token-based access to open-weight models, such as Apertus.
  • Scientific Applications: Users have access to a range of scientific applications spanning from quantum physics to supramolecular dynamics simulations.
  • Programming Environment: A selection of compilers, debuggers and performance tools to help you get the best from your code.
  • Container Engine: Users can seamlessly execute computing jobs within Linux application containers, ensuring reproducible and self-contained software environments. The toolset simplifies deployment and management of complex application stacks while integrating directly with standard HPC workflows.
  • Interactive Supercomputing: A selection of interactive languages that can be executed on the supercomputer via a JupyterLab service.

All these services are supported by our Help Desk. If you're already familiar with CSCS, cscs2go shares many features with the User Lab.