If you have questions about the terminology, please consult our Technical Glossary.
Systems across the nation
Federation resources include six national systems, which were installed between 2016 and 2021. Researchers can access these systems free-of-charge. Find out how to Get Started.
In addition, we provide staff’s expertise as well as a broad range of training opportunities.
| Name | Location | Launch date | Technical specifications |
| Arbutus | University of Victoria | 2016 | Technical specifications |
| Béluga | Montreal’s École de technologie supérieure | 2019 | Technical specifications |
| Cedar | Simon Fraser University | 2017 | Technical specifications |
| Graham | University of Waterloo | 2017 | Technical specifications |
| Narval | Montreal’s École de technologie supérieure | 2021 | Technical specifications |
| Niagara | University of Toronto | 2018 | Technical specifications |
Visit this page to see the status of each system.
Clouds at your service
A cloud service is also available to researchers. Cloud offers everything from configurability and availability to durability and portability. Users are offered virtual machines that allow them to configure a cloud account and customize their computing environment. The cloud allows users to build portals and platforms and to handle data they’re scraping from the web. It is also an easy way for researchers to share content and collaborate on shared resources with colleagues in other countries.
An answer to storage woes
There are also a wide range of storage options available, ranging from high-speed temporary local storage to different kinds of long-term storage. Because the storage systems are a shared resource, it’s the user’s job to use them responsibly. It is also the responsibility of users to manage the age of their stored data as the system is not intended for indefinite storage.