Tillicum is the University of Washington's next generation, GPU-accelerated computing platform designed to support cutting-edge research in AI, machine learning, data science, and scientific simulation. Operated by UW-IT Research Computing, Tillicum provides scalable, high-throughput, GPU-accelerated computing without requiring hardware ownership.
Tillicum is part of the integrated research cyberinfrastructure at UW, offering a flexible, usage-based access model for time-bound projects requiring GPU performance at scale.
Named after the Chinook Jargon word Tillicum, meaning "the people", the platform celebrates the collaborative spirit of research at UW and honors the Coast Salish peoples on whose land we learn and work.
Tillicum is built for GPU-accelerated performance and large-scale scientific workflows. Key features include:
Tillicum operates under a usage-based allocation model, offering researchers access to GPU-accelerated computing and storage for defined project periods. Researchers only pay for the compute time they used under a pay-as-you-go model. Unlike Hyak Klone, there are no slot fees or hardware purchases - pricing reflects on-demand, project-based compute access. Tillicum is exempt from indirect (F&A) costs.
On Tillicum, computing units are "GPU Hours" and are applied to all jobs scheduled with Slurm including debugging and testing.
Tillicum Usage RatesGPU Hour = Elapsed Time x N GPUsUsage Rate: $0.90/GPU Hour - Billing is monthly and handled as a subscription in UW-IT's ITBill system.Every scheduled job on Tillicum is subject to a the usage rate and requires at least 1 GPU (141GB RAM).
- Jobs are bound by a maximum of ~200GB system RAM and 8 CPUs.
- If more system RAM or more CPUs are required, additional GPUs must be added.
Tillicum processes not subject to charge:
Our team will review your request and get back to you with next steps. Tillicum access is typically delivered within 7 business days after a billing worktag has been received.
Tillicum provides high-speed, temporary storage designed for active computation. Every user has a home directory by default, project/lab dedicated storage, and scrubbed storage for temporary overflow use.
We will constantly evaluate this policy based on user feedback.
Tillicum is available to:
Not supported: