CIQ Academic Research Computing Advantage

One integrated stack built for for research computing

R1 universities run some of the most complex infrastructure in the world, most with teams of two to five people. The Academic Research Computing Advantage (ARCA) consolidates the OS, provisioning, scheduling, containers, and compliance into one stack with one support contract.

CIQ Academic Research Computing Advantage

Fewer vendors, fewer failure modes

Compliance built into the stack

New admins are productive in days

GPU workloads handled natively

The complete stack for research computing. Deploy faster. Manage less.

From operating system to workload scheduler, tested together, and supported by one engineering team.

RLC Pro

Production-grade Enterprise Linux with a 10-year support lifecycle. RHEL-compatible. The foundation for every node in your cluster: compute, GPU, login, and storage.

RLC Pro Hardened

Security-hardened Linux with pre-applied STIG and CIS profiles, FIPS 140-3 cryptographic modules, and kernel-level runtime protection (LKRG). For universities handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) under DoD-funded contracts.

Ascender Pro

Ansible-based infrastructure automation with compliance reporting. Configuration tracking, drift remediation, CVE dashboards, and exportable audit records. Compliance evidence generated as a byproduct of normal operations.

Fuzzball

GPU-aware workload scheduling with container-native design. Smarter backfill, fair-share across research groups, and a web GUI for researcher self-service. Integrates with existing Slurm or PBS as a backend.

Warewulf Pro

Cluster provisioning through a web UI. Stateless imaging means nodes boot from a known image every time. Configuration drift doesn't accumulate. Deploy new clusters in days. Onboard new admins in hours instead of weeks.

Apptainer

HPC-native container runtime. Researchers submit containerized workflows without admin intervention or security risk. The standard for scientific container portability across HPC environments.

Built for how universities actually run HPC

Research computing teams at R1 universities face a specific set of operational challenges. ARCA is built to solve them.

Fewer vendors, fewer failure modes

Consolidate five vendor relationships into one. When something breaks, call the engineers who built the software. One escalation path, one support contract, one team.

Compliance built into the stack

For universities handling controlled research data under DoD-funded contracts, CMMC requirements now tie eligibility to demonstrable NIST 800-171 compliance.

New admins are productive in days

Warewulf Pro's web UI and stateless provisioning mean a new team member can deploy and manage nodes without months of tribal knowledge transfer.

GPU workloads handled natively

Fuzzball's GPU-aware scheduling, combined with RLC Pro AI's pre-integrated accelerator support, handles these workloads without bolting on third-party tools.

One partner for your entire research computing stack

CIQ built Rocky Linux, the most widely adopted community Enterprise Linux in HPC. The Academic Research Computing Advantage extends that foundation into a complete, commercially supported infrastructure stack for universities. One vendor relationship instead of five, backed by the engineers who build and maintain the software.

Complete stack under a single annual site license
Trusted partners available for deployment, customization, and support

Two paths, depending on where you're starting

Modernizer

You're already on Rocky Linux, RLC, or Enterprise Linux and want to add commercial provisioning, scheduling, and compliance automation. Layer in Warewulf Pro, Fuzzball, and Ascender Pro incrementally or start with the component that addresses your biggest operational gap.

Clean Slate

New AI cluster, compliance enclave, or capacity expansion. Deploy the complete stack from bare metal to production.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Do we have to deploy the entire stack?

No. Use what you need. Many universities start with one or two products and expand over time.

Can we try before committing?

Yes. No-cost pilot licenses are available. Deploy on a non-critical partition or new hardware and validate before signing.

What happens after the deadline?

Standard pricing takes effect after January 31, 2027.

Does Fuzzball replace our existing scheduler?

Fuzzball integrates with Slurm or PBS as a backend provisioner. Your users submit jobs the same way. Start with a GPU partition and expand from there.

How does this help with NIST 800-171 compliance?

RLC Pro Hardened ships with pre-applied STIG and CIS hardening profiles plus FIPS 140-3 cryptographic modules. Ascender Pro provides Ansible-based remediation and exportable compliance reporting. Warewulf Pro's stateless provisioning prevents configuration drift. Together, they address key NIST 800-171 control families relevant to HPC infrastructure.

We're managing multiple campuses. Can the license scale?

The site license covers one campus. Multi-campus pricing is available. Contact us for details.

What if our budget cycle doesn't align with the deadline?

Net 60 billing is available for public universities. Quarterly billing is available for multi-year agreements.

What's the difference between running Linux in "FIPS mode" and having FIPS-validated cryptography?

FIPS mode is a configuration setting that restricts an OS to a set of cryptographic algorithms. FIPS validation means those algorithms have been independently tested by a NIST-accredited lab, and the cryptographic module holds a CMVP certificate number on the NIST validated modules list. When a CMMC assessor or federal auditor asks for your FIPS certificate number, FIPS mode alone won't produce one. RLC Pro Hardened ships with cryptographic modules that have been submitted to NIST's Cryptographic Module Validation Program.

How does Rocky Linux from CIQ address the CMMC Level 2 and CNSA 2.0 deadlines?

Two government deadlines land eight weeks apart: CMMC Level 2 takes effect November 2026, requiring FIPS-validated cryptography on systems handling Controlled Unclassified Information, and CNSA 2.0 requires post-quantum algorithm support for new National Security Systems acquisitions starting January 2027. CIQ's NSS module is the first Enterprise Linux module with NIST-approved post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms to achieve CAVP certification and advance toward full FIPS 140-3 validation. RLC Pro Hardened addresses the FIPS requirement; the PQC-certified module addresses the CNSA 2.0 requirement.

How is this different from using Rocky Linux on its own?

Rocky Linux is open source and free. CIQ adds what the community project doesn't include: validated packages, SLO-backed security updates, commercial support from the engineers who maintain the software, indemnification, and the full stack of commercial tools (Warewulf Pro, Ascender Pro, Fuzzball) that turn a Linux distribution into a managed research computing platform.