In February, the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology launched five specialized working groups dedicated to shaping the future framework of the newly established MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing. Leading the critical Working Group on College Infrastructure are Nicholas Roy, a distinguished professor of aeronautics and astronautics, and Benoit Forget, an associate professor of nuclear science and engineering. Their mandate focuses on ensuring departments, laboratories, and centers (DLCs) across campus receive the essential information and resources required to meet their evolving computational demands, particularly regarding data access and storage solutions.
The comprehensive approach to developing MIT computing infrastructure development has involved extensive collaboration across the institution. The working group includes representatives from every academic school and most major DLCs, ensuring diverse perspectives in their strategic planning. Their information-gathering process implemented a thorough survey distributed to all DLCs and computing-related student organizations, supplemented by targeted meetings between working group members and designated representatives from each unit.
To build upon historical context, the committee examined insights from the legendary Athena project, analyzed findings from previous working groups on related topics, and reviewed a recent comprehensive survey from the research computing committee that reached all MIT principal investigators (PIs). Additionally, they conducted peer institution comparisons and organized thematic discussions focusing on current infrastructure capabilities—including hardware, software, and data management—and the evolving needs of the campus community.
Key findings from their extensive research revealed a significant challenge: while MIT boasts substantial research computing infrastructure across campus, most of these resources remain difficult to discover and access for the majority of community members. A clear consensus emerged requesting the establishment of centralized, accessible, and equitable computing resources at MIT. Currently, most computing power is funded by individual PIs, creating substantial access disparities across the institution. Unlike many peer institutions, MIT's computing landscape remains highly decentralized, though some DLCs with internally managed centralized infrastructure report significantly higher researcher satisfaction.
The research identified a growing demand for integrated computational infrastructure and support that bridges both scientific and educational computing needs. Academic areas not traditionally associated with computing face significant entry barriers and would benefit from enhanced internal support structures to effectively utilize available resources. Furthermore, the committee consistently found that personnel support represents an essential component of robust computational infrastructure—having skilled engineers and support staff to maintain systems proves critical to ensuring truly accessible and equitable computing environments.
Perhaps the most significant challenge encountered during this process involved defining the scope of computing infrastructure itself, as this concept means different things to different stakeholders. While some community members primarily focus on enterprise aspects like email systems, networking, and laptop/desktop resources, others view research and educational computing infrastructure much more broadly. The committee dedicated considerable time to defining an actionable scope within their limited timeframe, necessarily excluding certain computing aspects such as specialized hardware provision and online education platforms. However, some MIT community members strongly advocate for these elements to be included within the campus computing infrastructure framework.
