FAS Research Computing (FAS RC) will be transitioning to a new storage infrastructure. The project will consolidate and modernize a significant portion of the existing storage filesystems and move to new and improved hardware. The new storage<\/span> will replace outdated filesystems, realign storage options with data lifecycle needs, incorporate enterprise-grade features, and establish a scalable and financially sustainable service model.<\/span><\/p>\n The project incorporates over 70 pebibytes<\/strong> of new data storage to ensure FAS RC remains at the forefront of research and meet the needs of the Harvard community.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n FASRC storage capacity grew from <\/span>32.72 PiB to 87.89 PiB<\/b> (a <\/span>168.5% increase)<\/b> over the past several years, reflecting an average growth of <\/span>11.03 PiB per year<\/b> or <\/span>21%. <\/b>Storage demand is projected to reach 141 PiB by FY30.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Key growth drivers include:<\/span><\/span> Improved data lifecycle enforcement and better management practices supported by analytics tools like Starfish<\/a> and Coldfront<\/a> will help mitigate future growth, enabling users and administrators to make more informed decisions, optimize storage usage, and enhance internal forecasting.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n *Snapshots are copies of a directory taken at a specific moment in time. They offer labs a self-service recovery option for overwritten or deleted files within the specific time period. Disaster recovery is a copy of an entire file system that can be used internally by FASRC in case of system-wide failure.<\/p>\n ** ECS object storage.\u00a0<\/p>\n *** Disaster recovery is an additional cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n * New storage costs has been implemented for Tier 1 labs starting January 1, 2026. All Tier 1 storage allocations will be now be charged a rate of $125\/TB\/year.\u00a0<\/p>\nStrategic Outcomes<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
\n<\/b>Scalable, cost-effective storage aligned to support expanding research demands and lifecycle trends.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b>Resilient infrastructure with enterprise-grade reliability and support creating a user-friendly experience.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b>Reduces manual overhead, eliminates disruptive migrations, and reallocates staff to strategic and user-facing initiatives.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b>Establishes a predictable long-term cost-recovery model with transparent tiered pricing and vendor-aligned incentives.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/b>Supports AI\/ML, secure multi-protocol access, and evolving scientific workflows.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nStorage Growth & Future Demand<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\n
New Storage Architecture<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n
Compute Storage<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
Lab Storage<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
FAS Secure Environment (FASSE)<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
Long-Term Storage (Cold)**<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
\n<\/span><\/li>\nTape (NESE)\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Storage Costs\u00a0<\/h2>\n