La Trobe University has officially powered on a supercomputer that will supercharge Australia’s medical innovation. The new hardware is Australia’s first university deployment of NVIDIA DGX H200 systems, giving scientists a massive boost in AI-driven research.
There will be a total of three NVIDIA DGX H200 systems commissioned. Each DGX H200 features eight NVIDIA Hopper-architecture GPUs with a total of 1.128 TB of HBM3e memory at 4.8 TB/s bandwidth. The La Trobe AI platform is located at NEXTDC, M2 Melbourne.
NEXTDC’s M2 data centre offers high levels of reliability, security, and connectivity for corporate and government clients located in Tullamarine, a suburb of Melbourne strategically positioned near the airport and key telecommunications infrastructure. The facility is engineered for complete fault tolerance and boasts significant power capacity, advanced cooling solutions suitable for high-density computing like AI, and direct, low-latency connections to a vast ecosystem of cloud providers and carrier networks.
This AI-powered supercomputer is also important geographically, with it being one of just a few operating in the Southern Hemisphere.
The supercomputer’s arrival follows the launch last year of La Trobe’s Australian Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Innovation (ACAMI), the world’s first university centre specialised in using AI to develop immunotherapies, cancer vaccines, med-tech and healthcare.
This move is part of La Trobe’s wider ‘AI-first’ strategy, which aims to transform its research, education, and business operations by embracing artificial intelligence. The project is backed by a A$10 million investment from the Victorian Government through mRNA Victoria.
La Trobe Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell said the university is committed to being at the forefront of AI.
“AI is revolutionising society at great speed and La Trobe is committed to ensuring that our students and the communities we serve are empowered to adapt and succeed in this rapidly changing world. The potential of AI in medical and biotech research is huge. NVIDIA DGX H200 systems enable faster translation of research into clinical trials and personalised therapies.
La Trobe Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell
La Trobe’s Australian Centre for AI in Medical Innovation also provides a hands-on training ground for Australian scientists, clinicians and data scientists, building sovereign AI expertise that is crucial for rural and Indigenous health initiatives, biotech competitiveness and the nation’s long-term digital health resilience.”
Cisco Research Chair in AI and ACAMI Director and Chief Scientist Professor Wei Xiang said the technology could halve the time it takes to develop new drugs.
“The DGX H200 supercomputer is among the fastest all-round AI supercomputing infrastructure platforms that one can obtain. With AI, we can develop precision medicine that addresses the unique characteristics of each patient, significantly improving treatment.”
Fuelling discovery in medical research
La Trobe will partner with multiple organisations through ACAMI to collaborate on drug discovery and medical innovation.
One of the first projects to benefit from the AI-processing performance of the DGX H200 systems is a collaboration between ACAMI and The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, researching Niemann-Pick disease type C, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in children.
Childhood dementias, such as Niemann-Pick and Menkes disease, occur when babies are born with mistakes in the genetic instruction for proteins that are essential for the brain to function normally.
Dr Ya Hui Hung, the project lead at The Florey, said her team will use the new systems to develop gene therapy for the disorder.
“The super processing performance of NVIDIA DGX H200 systems will help us to explore more options and get results faster. This will dramatically reduce the time it takes to develop life-changing treatment for 700,000 people worldwide living with childhood dementia. It could also provide insights into other forms of dementia, which affect over 400,000 Australians and is projected to double by 2058.”
“This collaboration not only creates one of the country’s leading research platforms, it empowers the critical research and innovation required to unlock the future of AI-driven medical and biotech advancement to improve patient treatment for many Australians.”
Craig Scroggie, CEO and managing director, NEXTDC
NVIDIA also commented on the significance of the deployment for local research.
“AI-powered infrastructure is unlocking a new wave of discovery, giving researchers the tools needed to advance healthcare and medical research. With La Trobe’s deployment of NVIDIA DGX H200, Australian researchers can accelerate breakthroughs and set new standards for innovation and patient care.”
Sudarshan Ramachandran, country manager – enterprise, ANZ at NVIDIA.
ACAMI is located within La Trobe’s Research and Innovation Precinct, a central part of the university’s plan to create a University City of the Future. With the AI industry forecast to create 200,000 jobs in Australia by 2030, this initiative is a significant step forward for local innovation.
For more information, head to https://www.latrobe.edu.au/research/acami
