RACE Overview

About RACE

The RMIT Advanced Cloud Ecosystem (RACE) is RMIT University’s cloud computing facility designed to provide researchers, students, and staff with access to scalable, on-demand computing resources. RACE bridges the gap between traditional on-premises computing and the vast capabilities of public cloud platforms.

Purpose and Mission

RACE exists to:

  • Democratize cloud access - Make powerful computing resources available to all RMIT community members, regardless of their technical background
  • Accelerate research - Provide the computational power needed for data-intensive research, machine learning, simulations, and large-scale analysis
  • Support education - Enable students to gain hands-on experience with industry-standard cloud technologies
  • Reduce barriers - Simplify cloud adoption through managed services and centralized support

Key Benefits

For Researchers

  • Access to high-performance computing without capital investment
  • Scalable resources that grow with your project needs
  • Pre-configured environments for common research workflows
  • Secure, isolated workspaces for sensitive data

For Students

  • Real-world cloud experience for career preparation
  • Resources for coursework, projects, and thesis work
  • Learning environments without personal cloud account costs

For Staff

  • Simplified provisioning of teaching and administrative resources
  • Centralized billing and cost management
  • Enterprise-grade security and compliance

How RACE Works

RACE provides access to cloud resources through two models:

Managed Services

Compute Service and Loome are managed platforms that handle the complexity of cloud infrastructure for you. These services:

  • Provide pre-configured virtual machines and resources
  • Handle security, networking, and access control
  • Offer simplified interfaces for common tasks
  • Include built-in cost controls and monitoring

Direct Cloud Access

For users who need full control, RACE provides direct access to AWS and Azure consoles. This option:

  • Gives complete access to all cloud services
  • Requires cloud expertise to manage effectively
  • Offers maximum flexibility for complex requirements
  • Includes guidance on cost management and best practices

What Can You Do with RACE?

The short answer: almost anything that requires computing power. RACE gives you access to the full capabilities of cloud infrastructure, which means if you can imagine a computing workload, we can likely support it.

Research & Analysis

  • Data analysis, visualization, and statistical computing
  • Machine learning, deep learning, and AI model training
  • Genomics, bioinformatics, and computational biology
  • Climate modeling and environmental simulations
  • Social science data processing and text analysis
  • Image and video processing for research
  • Natural language processing and sentiment analysis

High-Performance Computing

  • Large-scale simulations and numerical modeling
  • Parallel processing and distributed computing
  • GPU-accelerated workloads
  • Batch processing of massive datasets
  • Monte Carlo simulations and optimization problems

Development & Applications

  • Web and mobile application development
  • API development and microservices
  • Database hosting and management
  • CI/CD pipelines and DevOps workflows
  • Containerized applications with Docker and Kubernetes
  • Serverless computing and event-driven architectures

Teaching & Learning

  • Virtual labs and classroom environments
  • Student project hosting
  • Interactive coding environments
  • Sandbox environments for experimentation
  • Course material hosting and delivery

Creative & Media

  • 3D rendering and animation
  • Video transcoding and processing
  • Audio processing and analysis
  • Virtual reality and simulation environments

Specialized Workloads

  • IoT data collection and processing
  • Blockchain and distributed ledger experiments
  • Quantum computing simulations
  • Robotics and autonomous systems development

Don’t see your use case listed? That’s okay—this list barely scratches the surface. If your work involves computing, RACE can probably help. Reach out to our team to discuss your specific needs.

Security and Compliance

RACE maintains enterprise-grade security:

  • Authentication - Integration with RMIT’s identity systems
  • Network isolation - Secure, isolated environments for each user
  • Data protection - Encryption at rest and in transit
  • Access controls - Role-based permissions and audit logging
  • Compliance - Alignment with RMIT’s information security policies

Getting Help

If you need assistance with RACE:

  • Review the platform-specific guides in this documentation
  • Check the FAQ for common questions
  • Contact the RACE support team via the Getting Support page

Next Steps

Ready to get started? Here’s what to do next:

  1. Compare platforms to find the right fit for your needs
  2. Request access to the platform(s) you need
  3. Follow the platform guide for your chosen service