High Performance Computing-Plattform (HPC)

The DRFZ High-Performance Computing (HPC) Platform is the institute’s central computational hub, providing the scalable resources necessary to accelerate discovery across multi-omics, advanced microscopy, and high-throughput translational immunology research.

Infrastructure and Strategic Partnership
Our strategic hybrid computing cluster is hosted in partnership with the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB), ensuring high availability and professional sustainable maintenance.

• Dual Cluster Access: Researchers access two distinct computational tiers: a high-throughput general cluster and a private, high-security DRFZ-exclusive cluster optimized for processing sensitive data.
• Integrated User Environment: The system enhances researcher productivity through seamless web-based interfaces to key development environments, including RStudio, Python Notebooks (Jupyter/JupyterLab), and Visual Studio Code (VS Code).

Services and Computational Expertise
Beyond the hardware, the HPC Platform team operates as a group of computational biologists and data engineers, providing essential infrastructure support alongside high-level collaborative analysis services.

• Collaborative Bioinformatics and Data Analysis: We partner with research groups to develop and execute advanced mathematical and ML/AI analyses, supporting diverse biological fields such as rheumatology, systems medicine, neuroscience and microbiology. Our technical depth includes dominant programming languages such as Python, R, C++, MATLAB, Nextflow, and Snakemake.
• Custom Tool Development: We actively create custom software applications, including specialized diagnostic tools for medical doctors and bespoke GUIs, ensuring practical research outputs.
• Agentic AI Platform for Multi-Omics: As a prime example of our custom engineering, we have developed a proprietary agentic AI ecosystem to autonomously analyze the complex multi-omics datasets generated by the Robotics Facility. This initiative positions the DRFZ at the avant-garde of computational immunology, bridging the gap between high-throughput data and automated clinical insight.
• Reproducibility & Standards: We enforce workflow standardization, through resources such as Nextflow and containerization, to ensure all research is consistent, reproducible, and compliant with FAIR Data principles.
• Training and Teaching: Trainees and students of all backgrounds are welcome!

Innovation and Data Modernization
The HPC Platform drives innovation by implementing next-generation data standards and tools across the DRFZ:

• Robotics Project Highlight: The team develops and supports the core data analysis pipelines for diagnostic products emerging from the DRFZ’s Robotics Facility (Kitanovic) and AG Latz merger venture. Lab process engineering, automation and modernization is a big aspect of our work.
• Next-Generation Biotech Automation: Supported by the BMBF DATIpilot grant (2025), we are developing a Digital Twin of the Robotics facility for advanced protocol simulation. Concurrently, we are implementing blockchain technology to establish immutable audit trails, elevating process documentation and data provenance to cryptographic standards.
• DRFZ Pilot (Secure AI): DRFZ Pilot is a secure internal AI platform providing all employees with access to locally installed Large Language Models (LLMs) without compromising institutional data security. It contains an AI buddy that helps you navigate our cluster and code, amongst other useful AI agents for all DRFZ staff (administative and wet lab, not only computational).
• Scientific Data Lake Initiative: We are currently establishing a comprehensive, institute-wide scientific data lake with an integrated platform to facilitate streamlined data access and discovery.