Reference
What it does
The hpc module extends the marketplace to batch supercomputing. Instead of leasing long-running services, tenants submit HPC jobs — batch workloads with resource, walltime, and partition requirements — that execute on providers' existing cluster schedulers: SLURM, MOAB, or Open OnDemand.
On the provider side, the daemon's HPC integration polls on-chain jobs, dispatches them through native scheduler adapters (munge or JWT auth for SLURM, per-partition configuration), tracks lifecycle with configurable concurrency limits and timeouts, and recovers state crash-safely. Job events, security events, and usage feed a dedicated audit log, and usage batches flow into the same settlement pipeline as cloud workloads.
Why it exists: University and national-lab clusters run some of the world's most valuable capacity at partial utilization, but their operating model — batch schedulers, allocations, walltime — doesn't map onto container leases. A dedicated HPC module lets that capacity join the marketplace without re-platforming the cluster.
State
Primary objects
| Concept | Definition |
|---|---|
HPC job | A batch workload with resource, walltime, and partition requirements, executed via a cluster scheduler. |
Scheduler adapter | The daemon component that speaks natively to SLURM, MOAB, or Open OnDemand. |
Partition | A scheduler-level subdivision of a cluster that can be exposed to the marketplace with its own configuration. |
Messages
Messages & queries
Message and query surfaces are documented at implementation level in the module docs ↗ and the source ↗. The objects above are the state those messages create and transition.
Connections
Module interactions
-
x/marketHPC capacity is offered and priced through the same exchange economics. -
x/settlementHPC job usage settles through the standard usage-settlement pipeline. -
x/providerCluster operators register as providers with HPC-specific attributes. -
x/auditScheduler-level audit logging complements on-chain audit attestations.
Flows
Core flow
- Submit — A job goes on-chain. Resource, walltime, and partition requirements are recorded as an HPC job through the same exchange economics.
- Dispatch — The adapter dispatches. The daemon polls on-chain jobs and dispatches through the native scheduler with configurable limits and timeouts.
- Track — Lifecycle is tracked. Polling, dispatch, tracking, and crash-safe recovery — with job, security, and usage events in a dedicated audit log.
- Settle — Usage batches settle. Metered batches flow into the standard usage-settlement pipeline from tenant escrow.
Questions
Asked about x/hpc
Do clusters need re-platforming?
No. The scheduler, partitions, and auth stay as they are — only the partitions and job classes a facility exposes become schedulable from the market.
How is HPC usage priced?
Through the same exchange economics as the rest of the marketplace. Facilities set pricing per partition and job class, and jobs are paid from tenant escrow at the full agreed amount.
What audit trail does a job leave?
Two layers: the daemon's dedicated audit log for job, security, and usage events, plus the on-chain record — job, usage batches, settlement — validated by consensus.
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