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Postgraduate DiplomaData, AI, Simulation & Analytics Applications open

Diploma in Scaling, Scheduling and Cost in HPC/Cloud

Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in scaling, scheduling and cost in HPC/cloud. 8 modules covering HPC and cloud infrastructures, application scalability, job scheduling with Slurm, cloud HPC, FinOps cost management, workflow orchestration and platform governance, with an assigned technical tutor.

Duration800 hours · 6–8 months
ModeOnline
LanguageEnglish
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute diploma
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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Compare on-premise and cloud HPC architectures.

02

Measure the strong and weak scalability of applications.

03

Configure job scheduling policies in Slurm.

04

Deploy elastic cloud clusters using infrastructure as code.

05

Estimate and optimise the cost of compute-intensive workloads.

06

Orchestrate reproducible large-scale workflows.

07

Govern compute platforms using security and capacity criteria.

Profile

Who it's for

  • HPC systems engineers looking to master scaling, scheduling and cost control.
  • Cloud architects designing platforms for scientific workloads.
  • FinOps specialists moving into HPC and research computing.
  • Cluster administrators who want to optimise queues and utilisation.
  • R&D platform engineers supporting simulation and AI teams.
  • Scientific DevOps engineers automating compute workflows.
  • Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter scientific research computing.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • ISO/IEC 17788:2014 (cloud computing overview and vocabulary)
  • ISO/IEC 19086-1:2016 (cloud service level agreement framework)
  • ISO/IEC 27017:2015 (information security controls for cloud services)
  • ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (information security management systems)
  • ISO/IEC 30134-2:2016 (PUE) (data centre power usage effectiveness)
  • EN 50600 (data centre facilities and infrastructures)
  • FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS) (standard format for cloud cost and usage data)
  • Slurm
  • AWS ParallelCluster
  • Terraform
  • Apptainer
  • Nextflow
Syllabus

8 modules

  1. 1.1HPC cluster architecture
  2. 1.2InfiniBand and low-latency Ethernet networks
  3. 1.3Lustre and GPFS file systems
  4. 1.4HPC instances on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud
  5. 1.5GPU nodes and accelerators
  6. 1.6IaaS, PaaS and HPC-as-a-service models
  7. 1.7ISO/IEC 17788 vocabulary
  8. 1.8Data centres and energy efficiency
  9. 1.9TOP500 and Green500 lists
  10. 1.10Workshop: comparison of on-premise and cloud architectures
  1. 2.1Strong and weak scaling
  2. 2.2Measuring speedup and efficiency
  3. 2.3Communication bottlenecks
  4. 2.4I/O scaling
  5. 2.5Scaling distributed training
  6. 2.6Profiling at scale
  7. 2.7Analytical performance models
  8. 2.8Choosing the optimal number of nodes
  9. 2.9Elastic versus fixed scaling
  10. 2.10Practical exercise: scalability study of a CFD solver
  1. 3.1Resource managers and queues
  2. 3.2Slurm: partitions, QOS and priorities
  3. 3.3Fair-share and backfilling
  4. 3.4Array jobs and dependencies
  5. 3.5GPU reservation and generic resources
  6. 3.6PBS Pro and HTCondor
  7. 3.7Scheduling on Kubernetes with Volcano
  8. 3.8Preemption policies
  9. 3.9Cluster utilisation metrics
  10. 3.10Lab: configuring queues in Slurm
  1. 4.1AWS ParallelCluster and Azure CycleCloud
  2. 4.2Infrastructure as code with Terraform
  3. 4.3Autoscaling of compute nodes
  4. 4.4Spot and preemptible instances
  5. 4.5Object storage and caches
  6. 4.6Data transfer and egress costs
  7. 4.7Apptainer and Docker containers
  8. 4.8Workload security and isolation
  9. 4.9Hybrid burst architectures
  10. 4.10Lab: elastic cluster with AWS ParallelCluster
  1. 5.1Principles of the FinOps framework
  2. 5.2On-demand, reserved and spot pricing models
  3. 5.3Cost per simulation and per experiment
  4. 5.4Tagging and cost allocation
  5. 5.5FOCUS cost data specification
  6. 5.6Budgets and alerts
  7. 5.7Total cost of ownership on-premise
  8. 5.8Instance right-sizing
  9. 5.9Carbon footprint of computing
  10. 5.10Practical exercise: cost model for a simulation campaign
  1. 6.1Nextflow and Snakemake workflow managers
  2. 6.2Apache Airflow for scientific workloads
  3. 6.3Workflows with dependencies and retries
  4. 6.4Execution across multiple compute sites
  5. 6.5Data management within the workflow
  6. 6.6Reproducibility and provenance
  7. 6.7Monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana
  8. 6.8Fault tolerance and checkpointing
  9. 6.9Scaling parameter sweeps
  10. 6.10Case study: optimisation workflow with thousands of simulations
  1. 7.1Service level agreements according to ISO/IEC 19086
  2. 7.2Cloud security according to ISO/IEC 27017
  3. 7.3Identity and access management
  4. 7.4Quotas and project governance
  5. 7.5Data centre efficiency indicators
  6. 7.6Software licence management
  7. 7.7Capacity planning
  8. 7.8Support for scientific users
  9. 7.9Vendor strategy and lock-in
  10. 7.10Case study: capacity plan for an R&D department
  1. 8.1Workload characterisation
  2. 8.2Scalability study
  3. 8.3Queue configuration design
  4. 8.4Cloud or hybrid deployment
  5. 8.5Workflow orchestration
  6. 8.6Cost model and optimisation
  7. 8.7Performance and cost indicators
  8. 8.8Architecture recommendations
  9. 8.9Report and presentation
  10. 8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

Training is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so the programme fits alongside your job.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Slurm, AWS ParallelCluster, Terraform, Apptainer and Nextflow, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Case studies are based on real procedures: scalability studies of solvers on clusters, elastic cloud compute deployments and cost modelling of simulation campaigns. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final integrating project.

Standards covered: ISO/IEC 17788:2014, ISO/IEC 19086-1:2016, ISO/IEC 27017:2015, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO/IEC 30134-2:2016 (PUE), EN 50600, FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS)

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of ISO/IEC 17788, ISO/IEC 19086-1 and ISO/IEC 27017 applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:Slurm, AWS ParallelCluster, Terraform, Apptainer and Nextflow, in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Final project:an end-to-end scaling and cost study of a real workload, from scalability analysis and queue design to cloud deployment and cost optimisation, reviewed by your tutor.
Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Workload characterisation
Profile a real compute workload and measure its strong and weak scalability.
Queue configuration design
Design Slurm partitions, QOS and priorities tailored to the workload.
Cloud or hybrid deployment
Deploy an elastic cluster with infrastructure as code and orchestrate the workflow.
Cost model and optimisation
Build a cost model with performance and cost indicators and optimise it.
Final project
Architecture recommendations, report and presentation, reviewed by your tutor in a final session.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

HPC systems engineerCloud architect for scientific workloadsFinOps specialistCluster administratorR&D platform engineerScientific DevOps engineer
Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

  • Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. A university degree is not required.
  • An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
  • English sufficient to read technical standards.

Ready to start?

Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The programme totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.

You work with Slurm, AWS ParallelCluster, Terraform, Apptainer and Nextflow, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.

A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.

Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.

Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the programme software and English sufficient to read technical standards.

Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.

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