ResearchComputeA field guide for Australian researchers

This one has real dates.

Pawsey Setonix

Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre

Setonix is the national supercomputer in Perth, run by Pawsey. Australian researchers get time through merit schemes, mainly NCMAS. It is free when a scheme awards it. It is not a machine you can switch on with a credit card.

Free for awarded research projects. Commercial use is a separate conversation, and a free allocation for any ABN holder was not found.

Who it is for

Researchers based at Australian universities, government agencies, and research organisations. The Pawsey partner scheme is specifically for CSIRO, Curtin University, and the University of Western Australia. Industry access has historically been through a research collaboration, not a self-serve signup.

What you get

Time on Setonix, which combines a very large CPU system with AMD GPUs. Active projects also receive a modest amount of project storage. PULSE, the old uptake program, offers staff help to improve a code rather than a blank cheque of computing time.

How to get it

  1. If your project is large and you are at an Australian research organisation, NCMAS is the main door. The 2027 round is closed. Results are due 18 December 2026.
  2. If you are at CSIRO, Curtin, or UWA, also ask about the Pawsey partner scheme. It is a separate merit pool for those partners.
  3. Fast Track is a quarterly scheme for participating institutions. Your institution has to endorse the request, and the minimum ask is large (250,000 service units in a quarter).
  4. PULSE, formerly called Pawsey Uptake Projects, invites researchers to work with Pawsey staff on making a code faster. The published call closed on 17 April 2026. A later call was not listed.
  5. Newcomers who only need to try the machine should ask Pawsey or their university about preparatory or startup access, and keep the real work on a campus cluster until an allocation exists.

Deadlines

NCMAS 2027 allocations announced, including Setonix

18 December 2026

NCMAS publishes 2027 allocations. Pawsey Setonix is one of the two machines in that call.

Add the upcoming dates to your calendar

Read this before you apply

  • We did not find a current scheme named industry uptake that gives free Setonix time to anyone with an ABN.
  • Setonix GPU time and CPU time are requested separately under NCMAS.
  • Partner and Fast Track rules are limited to listed institutions. Do not assume every university has a Pawsey partner share.

Check before you rely on this

  • A free industry-uptake allocation open to any ABN was not confirmed. Treat paid or collaborative industry access as something to ask Pawsey about, not as a published entitlement.
  • The next PULSE call after 17 April 2026 was not published when this page was checked.

Sources