ASPIRE 2B and Singapore's national research-computing infrastructure

ASPIRE 2B is Singapore's newest national supercomputer, launched by the National Supercomputing Centre Singapore (NSCC) on 8 June 2026. It expands Singapore's national research infrastructure for high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, large-scale simulation, and data-intensive research (Ministry of Digital Development and Information, 8 June 2026). ASPIRE 2B is shared research infrastructure, not a public cloud service for unrestricted personal use and not an automatic compute allocation for every AI company or research project.

Capacity and technical role

The launch address says ASPIRE 2B has more than 1,500 NVIDIA H200 GPUs and can deliver up to 115 petaFLOPS, with a roughly 100-fold increase in compute capacity compared with Singapore's first national supercomputer, ASPIRE 1 (Ministry of Digital Development and Information, 8 June 2026). NSCC describes the system as offering up to 115 petaFLOPS and close to four times the combined capacity of the then-current ASPIRE 2A and ASPIRE 2A+ systems (National Supercomputing Centre Singapore, 8 June 2026). These are peak or stated system-capability figures, not a measure of research output, user productivity, or the amount of compute any individual applicant receives.

Who uses it and how access works

NSCC supports a core community of more than 700 active users and a wider group of around 9,000 across Singapore's Institutes of Higher Learning; the launch address also said NSCC had enabled more than 1,500 projects since 2024 across research and industry applications (Ministry of Digital Development and Information, 8 June 2026). Access is governed through NSCC's national-research-infrastructure allocation process. Its June 2026 strategic-resource policy introduced a new Tier 2 category and stated that allocation is prioritised for research projects with significant economic outcomes or scientific imperatives; GPU and CPU rates apply to RIE-funded projects under the current call (National Supercomputing Centre Singapore, updated 29 June 2026). Hardware capacity therefore does not equal a general grant or guaranteed access without an allocation decision.

Uses across AI, science and national capability

ASPIRE 2B is intended to support both research about AI and research using AI. Examples highlighted at launch include high-resolution climate modelling, regional-language and multimodal AI, and compute-intensive work in molecular simulation and advanced materials. NSCC also intends to integrate a quantum computer with ASPIRE 2B in 2026, creating a hybrid quantum-classical platform for experimentation (Ministry of Digital Development and Information, 8 June 2026). The system complements the National AI R&D Plan and AI-for-Science initiative but does not replace them: those programmes define research and talent priorities, while NSCC provides a national computing platform whose impact depends on projects, users, software, energy, and technical support.

NSCC's national-infrastructure role

The National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC) Singapore is the institution that manages national high-performance computing (HPC) resources; ASPIRE 2B is one system in that infrastructure, not the centre itself. NRF says NSCC was established in 2015 and is funded as a National Research Infrastructure (NRI), supporting research needs across public and private sectors, including research institutes, institutes of higher learning, government agencies and companies. NRF identifies NSCC's founding and operating stakeholder ecosystem as including A*STAR, NTU, NUS, SUTD, NEA, TCOMS, Singapore-ETH Centre and PRECISE (NRF, National Research Infrastructure, last updated 2 June 2026). The NRI designation situates NSCC within nationally supported shared research infrastructure: NRF sets the framework and funds infrastructure, while NSCC manages computing platforms and operational access. That distinction matters when a question asks who funds the infrastructure, who runs a machine, or who allocates project resources.

NRF's NRI principles describe open access as availability to public and private research entities in Singapore on an equitable basis, together with collaborative use and a charging model. Open access is therefore a principle for broad research availability, not a promise of unrestricted, cost-free or instantaneous access to a particular supercomputer. NSCC's own allocation policy says all HPC resources allocated are chargeable and subject to resource prioritisation and capacity; access remains dependent on the applicant, project route, resource category and approval (NRF, National Research Infrastructure, accessed 3 October 2026; NSCC, Strategic Resource Allocation Policy, updated 1 July 2026).

Applying for NSCC computing resources

For the Call for Projects, principal investigators submit their requests through their institution's Research Office, which coordinates submission and verification with NSCC. NSCC's Strategic Resource Allocation policy, updated 1 July 2026, says the Research Offices also receive award letters and handle pre- and post-award resource management. Applications are assessed by the Strategic Resource Allocation Committee (SRAC), with published criteria including national priorities, project complexity and investigators' track record in using allocated resources relative to projected demand (NSCC, Strategic Resource Allocation Policy, updated 1 July 2026).

The same policy describes six allocation categories across NSCC's systems: RIE-funded projects; a new Tier 2 institutional category, including Young Investigator Seed Projects; HPC research; training and promotion; SME/start-up support; and non-RIE-funded projects. The published shares differ between CPU and GPU system types. For example, as of the policy effective date of 1 July 2026, the listed ASPIRE 2B allocation shares were 70% RIE-funded projects, 20% Tier 2 institutional projects and 10% non-RIE-funded projects; the remaining categories each list 0% for ASPIRE 2B. These are NSCC's planning allocation shares by resource category, not percentages of all Singapore research funding or guaranteed awards for individual applicants. The page says the allocation percentages may be reviewed as demand and technology change (NSCC, Strategic Resource Allocation Policy, updated 1 July 2026).

NSCC states that allocated resources are charged, with rates depending on project category and system. The RIE-funded pricing table effective 1 July 2026 lists S$0.006 per CPU core-hour, S$0.44 per A100 GPU card-hour, S$0.98 per H100 card-hour where applicable to ASPIRE 2A+, and S$1.41 per H200 card-hour for ASPIRE 2B, before GST; storage is priced separately. Non-RIE standard and premium pricing differs, and NSCC explains that the standard tier applies to projects that will share data while the premium tier applies where data will not be shared. These are dated rates and category-specific charges, not a general fee for every user or a current quote for future cycles; applicants should check NSCC's live policy and their institution's call details (NSCC, Strategic Resource Allocation Policy, updated 1 July 2026).

The 8th Call for Projects opened from 21 September to 16 October 2026; NSCC's notice states that Research Office verification was scheduled for 19–30 October, award letters for 11–16 November, acceptance for 12–23 November and resource allocation from 2 January 2027. Those dates apply to that call only and do not create a standing application window. NSCC's policy says future calls are expected twice yearly subject to resource availability; applicants should verify the current cycle on the official project-calls page rather than reuse a past deadline (NSCC, 8th Call for Projects, accessed 3 October 2026; NSCC, Strategic Resource Allocation Policy, updated 1 July 2026).

Distinguishing NSCC, NRF and ASPIRE systems

NSCC is the national centre/operator for HPC infrastructure; NRF funds and stewards the National Research Infrastructure framework; and ASPIRE 2B is a specific supercomputer managed by NSCC. These names answer different questions. Use NSCC for the institution, infrastructure services and project-allocation process; NRF for the national RIE/NRI policy and funding context; and the relevant ASPIRE system for hardware capacity and technical characteristics. Neither NRF's funding role nor a machine's peak compute rating means every research team has automatic access. The allocation decision, eligible route, project budget and applicable call remain separate (NRF, National Research Infrastructure, accessed 3 October 2026; NSCC, Strategic Resource Allocation Policy, updated 1 July 2026).