Categories
Application Interactive HPC Research Supercomputing

Introducing RAGFlow: Enabling Smarter Research with AI-Powered Search

A new open-source application is now available on UCloud, designed for students, researchers, and educators working with complex data and artificial intelligence. RAGFlow – short for Retrieval-Augmented Generation – combines powerful language models with your own academic materials, offering an intelligent way to search, explore, and interact with content.

Whether you’re conducting a literature review, developing a teaching assistant, or building a domain-specific chatbot, RAGFlow provides an intuitive pipeline that transforms unstructured documents into a searchable, AI-ready knowledge base. But RAGFlow is more than just question-answering. It supports the creation of custom workflows and intelligent agents, enabling advanced interactions, data processing, and tool integration – all within a flexible and transparent environment.

What can you do with RAGFlow?

RAGFlow helps large language models (LLMs) generate accurate answers based on real data – not just pre-trained knowledge. It’s built to close the gap between raw academic material and useful insight.

RAGFlow is designed with both beginners and advanced users in mind. At its simplest, you can just upload documents and start asking questions. The interface guides you through the basics, so you can get useful results straight away.

As your needs grow, you can delve deeper into advanced features such as custom chunking, retrieval tests, datasets, and programmable workflows. Comprehensive documentation and tutorials are available, allowing you to learn at your own pace and expand your use of the platform over time.

Key Features:
  • Data Ingestion & Chunking:
    Upload PDFs, text files, webpages and more. RAGFlow automatically breaks them into manageable parts.
  • Embedding & Indexing:
    These chunks are converted into vector representations so they can be searched by meaning, not just keywords.
  • Smart Retrieval:
    When you ask a question, the system finds the most relevant information.
  • Contextual Generation:
    An LLM uses this context to generate well-informed responses.
  • Cited Sources:
    All answers come with grounded citations, showing where the information came from — supporting transparency and academic rigour.

This process improves the quality of responses and significantly reduces the risk of hallucinated or misleading answers.

From Search to Workflow: Introducing Agents

Beyond document search, RAGFlow also allows you to build and customise your own AI-powered agents. These agents can search, analyse, and use tools on your behalf – forming a pipeline tailored to your specific research needs.

So, what is an agent?

Think of an agent as a specialised AI assistant. You might create one to retrieve data from a source, another to analyse it, and a third to generate a written summary or report. These agents can be chained together into a programmable pipeline – a step-by-step flow where each agent passes its output to the next.

For example, you could build a research assistant that:

  • Searches for academic papers on a topic
  • Extracts and summarises the most relevant findings
  • Runs basic statistical analysis
  • Outputs the results as a draft report

Unlike typical ‘black-box’ AI tools, which conceal their inner workings, RAGFlow provides full transparency, allowing you to understand exactly how your AI operates. You can inspect, adjust, and understand every stage – from document chunking to embedding, retrieval, and agent reasoning. It’s a flexible and reproducible platform where your agents can be saved, re-run, or even shared with colleagues.

Why use RAGFlow on UCloud?

RAGFlow is available directly on UCloud. This offers several key advantages:

  • Academic Use Cases:
    Build assistants for teaching, research discovery, or even entire knowledge bases for your institute or research centre.
  • No Installation Required:
    Launch RAGFlow on UCloud with everything preconfigured and ready to use.
  • Flexible AI Model Support:
    Choose from models hosted on Hugging Face, Ollama, or take advantage of GPU-accelerated inference with vLLM – all accessible via an API key.
  • Easy Document Management:
    Upload and manage a wide range of formats, including PDFs, scanned documents, spreadsheets, and HTML.
Learn more 

Guides and technical details:
RAGFlow Guide
RAGFlow documentation on UCloud

A recorded tutorial will also be available shortly. Sign up for the newsletter to receive updates on this and other Interactive HPC news.

Categories
Interactive HPC Supercomputing UCloud

New Agreement Strengthens Collaboration on DeiC Interactive HPC

Shortly before Christmas 2025, DeiC and the Interactive HPC Consortium entered into a new five-year agreement on the national HPC service, with an annual budget of DKK 10 million. At the same time, the DeiC Board decided to invest a one-off amount of DKK 4 million in expanded GPU capacity. This additional investment has made it possible to significantly upgrade the facility. The upgrade strengthens opportunities for research projects working with large datasets and AI, while also providing better opportunities to use GPU resources more broadly.

In spring 2026, the consortium will establish a new energy-efficient data centre that will house the hardware for DeiC Interactive HPC. Danfoss and HPE are participating in the establishment of the data centre, which is described here.

“Through the new agreement, we are strengthening a shared national research infrastructure that gives researchers across Denmark easy access to advanced computing power. This is an important step for both digitalisation and digital sovereignty in Danish research. At the same time, the collaboration between the universities demonstrates that we can jointly develop solutions that are both technologically strong and sustainable – not least through the establishment of an energy-efficient data centre,” says Professor Claudio Pica, coordinator of the Interactive HPC Consortium.

Collaboration and development in focus

With the new contracts, DeiC and the Interactive HPC Consortium continue and expand a strong and trusted partnership. The long-term nature of the agreements and the strengthened financial framework reflect a solid collaboration and a shared commitment to developing the solution in close dialogue with users and DeiC’s professional forums. The aim is a solution that evolves in line with researchers’ needs and priorities.

At the same time, the agreements build on the service’s high level of security and strengthen the already well-established framework for reporting on usage and operations. Finally, the partners have established clear shared expectations regarding the handling of future development work and system integrations.

Acting Head of HPC at DeiC, Rune Gamborg Ørum, sees the new agreement as an important step forward:

“Beyond the opportunities offered by the new facility itself, I am pleased that our joint work on the contracts has also created a clear collaborative structure around the service. This will make a real difference for users, as it allows us to work together to support the many different ways researchers use DeiC Interactive HPC.”

In February 2026, the partners met in Aarhus for a joint workshop focusing on putting the agreement into practice and ensuring a well-functioning collaboration on technical development, user support and training activities in the coming years. Among other things, participants discussed how existing users can transition smoothly to the new data centre and the new GPU resources.

DeiC Interactive HPC 

DeiC Interactive HPC provides interactive and user-friendly supercomputing for researchers at Danish universities. The service is based on the UCloud platform, operated by the Interactive HPC Consortium consisting of the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Aarhus University (AU) and Aalborg University (AAU).

Today, DeiC Interactive HPC has approximately 22,000 users among students and researchers and supports a wide range of research fields. Through DeiC Interactive HPC, DeiC and the universities provide researchers across the country with access to scalable computing power via UCloud.

Categories
Interactive HPC Research Supercomputing Teaching UCloud Use case

UCloud Provides Student Access to Advanced NLP in Teaching 

In the Master’s programme in Cognitive Science at Aarhus University, UCloud plays a central role in teaching Natural Language Processing (NLP). For instructor and PhD student Mina Almasi, the platform is essential in enabling students to work hands-on with complex models – regardless of the limitations of their own computers.

From Theory to Hands-On Learning 

In a white classroom in Nobelparken, Mina stands in front of 15 students. On the screen behind her, lines of Python code appear in neat, symmetrical rows as she explains which code libraries the students need to access.

In her teaching, she uses the Coder Python application in UCloud because the course is based on Python programming. But the choice of platform is not just about software – it is about giving students the opportunity to translate theory into practice.

According to Mina, NLP teaching previously tended to remain at a more theoretical level, due to limited access to both models and the computing power needed to test theories in practice – especially when it came to large language models. With UCloud, students can now work directly with language models (LLMs) and make use of powerful GPUs and CPUs. This allows them to test theories themselves and experiment hands-on with the tools they are learning about.

“We still teach the theory, but now we can also have students use the tools in practice. They can code on their own and gain insight into how a large language model works by working directly with it through UCloud,” she explains.

A Standardised Setup that Democratises the Classroom 

Another advantage of using UCloud in NLP teaching is that the platform ensures equal access for all students, regardless of the computer they own.

“There is a kind of democratisation of the classroom, because you don’t need the latest computer. You can use a five-year-old machine to run very heavy tasks that the newest tools in Natural Language Processing require,” she explains.

At the same time, the standardised setup makes teaching more seamless. All students work with the same standard configuration in UCloud, so any issues that arise are the same for everyone. This creates a shared sense of problem-solving, as challenges can be addressed collectively rather than handled individually by students on their own. As Mina puts it:

“Instead of stopping the lesson to solve individual problems, the problems become collective and an opportunity for learning for everyone. If we have a software issue – for example, a Python library version that is outdated or incompatible – it affects everyone, and we can solve it together.”

Preparing Students for Working Life

For Mina, using UCloud also helps prepare students for the reality that awaits them after graduation. According to her, many of the students who go on to IT positions will likely use cloud computing platforms rather than coding on local machines. In this way, the teaching becomes direct preparation for future job tasks and gives students experience with the technologies they will encounter in practice.

Advice for Other Instructors 

Mina has used UCloud since her bachelor’s degree and finds that the platform makes teaching both smoother and more engaging.

“I recommend that other instructors make use of the platform. You just have to get started – but feel free to ask colleagues for advice on how they use it. Get some inspiration, because UCloud is a fantastic tool. It can do a great many things, but like other systems, it can feel a bit overwhelming at first, so it’s a good idea to get some guidance along the way before you begin.”

Categories
Call Interactive HPC Research Supercomputing UCloud

H2-2026 National HPC Call is open

You can now apply for compute time on UCloud. DeiC has opened the first 2026 call for applications for access to Denmark’s national HPC facilities – and Interactive HPC – UCloud is part of this call.

So if your research needs extra compute resources on UCloud, now is the time to apply. These calls only open twice a year, so this is a great opportunity to consider applying in this round. Researchers (and PhD students) at Danish universities can apply.

Key dates

  • Call opens: 13 January 2026
  • Application deadline: 10 March 2026
  • Resources available from: 1 July 2026

Read more and apply via DeiC

Categories
Supercomputing Tutorial UCloud Webinars & Tutorials - video Workshop

Webinar Recording: Getting Started With UCloud

In this video tutorial you will watch a hands-on introduction to UCloud, the national research platform for compute, storage, and applications. The session is designed to help new users get started with UCloud and understand how to use the platform for research, teaching, and project work.

In the recording, we guide you through how to:

  • Log in to UCloud and navigate the dashboard
  • Understand key concepts such as projects, resources, and applications
  • Run your first job and apply for additional compute and storage resources
  • Manage files and collaborate using project workspaces
  • Explore the application catalogue and job submission options
  • Discover new features introduced in UCloud 4.0

This recording is relevant for students, researchers, and new UCloud users across all disciplines.

UCloud is beginner-friendly and does not require any technical background or prior experience with cloud computing.

Timestamps

00:00 – 02:20: Introduction 
What UCloud is, who it’s for, and what the webinar will cover.

02:20 – 03:50: Key terms you need to know
Simple explanations of essential concepts used throughout the platform.

03:50 – 04:30: Support resources and useful links
Where to find help on interactivehpc.dk and additional documentation.

04:30 – 06:10: Login process and UCloud dashboard overview
How to log in and navigate the main dashboard.

06:10 – 08:30: Running your first job
A quick walkthrough of launching an application on UCloud.

08:30 – 14:00: Applying for resources
How to request compute and storage resources for your project.

14:00 – 17:20: File system and Drives
How file storage works and how to manage your data.

17:20 – 18:00: Personal workspace vs project workspace
Key differences and when to use each.

18:00 – 21:30: Managing a UCloud project
Members, settings, allocations, and collaboration.

21:30 – 23:50: Resources page
Public and IP links, SSH keys, and related settings.

23:50 – 25:40: Application catalogue and documentation
How to find apps and access relevant guides.

25:40 – 28:50: Job submission page options
Configuring applications before starting a job.

28:50 – 29:50: Running job view
Monitoring jobs and understanding job status.

29:50 – 32:00: Work folder, output files, and Runs page
Where to find results, logs, and job history.

32:00 – 35:40: What’s new in UCloud 4.0
Command palette, file tree, Syncthing and usage page.

35:40 – 36:08: Conclusion and next steps
Summary and where to find further resources.

Categories
Interactive HPC Supercomputing UCloud

A milestone reached: 20,000 users on UCloud

We are pleased to announce that even more people have discovered how UCloud can support their research – and that we have now reached an important milestone of 20,000 users.

The 20,000 users include both students and researchers, which is a truly remarkable number for a national supercomputing platform. UCloud is among the most successful High-Performance Computing platforms in Europe and stands out with a user base that is both significantly larger and more diverse than that of other – and often larger – supercomputing facilities across Europe. This applies both in terms of the number of users and the representation across research fields, levels of experience, and academic backgrounds.

Making High-Performance Computing accessible to all

UCloud was developed with a clear goal: to make High-Performance Computing accessible to all researchers affiliated with a Danish university – regardless of research area, experience, or academic discipline. We are therefore proud to see that the platform is widely used by both researchers and students across disciplines and levels.

We are pleased to help enable important research by providing the computing power needed to make research work easier and more time-efficient. At the same time, UCloud makes it possible to process sensitive data on a secure platform. Our platform is an important contribution to research that creates real value in the world beyond academia.

A milestone driven by collaboration

This milestone is the result of many years of focused work to create a platform that combines user-friendliness with high performance. It is also the result of the strong consortium collaboration between the University of Southern Denmark, Aarhus University, and Aalborg University, which jointly develop UCloud and continuously expand the platform to meet researchers’ needs.

A new data center to support the growing user base

To support the rapidly growing number of users on the platform, a new data center to host UCloud’s next-generation hardware was recently established. This expansion strengthens UCloud’s capacity and ensures that the platform is future-proof and ready to support both current and upcoming users. You can read more about the expansion here: University Collaboration Strengthens National Research Infrastructure with New Green Data Center.

We look forward to welcoming even more users to UCloud – and to continuing to support Danish research with modern, scalable, and secure supercomputing infrastructure.

Categories
Application Supercomputing

Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab Now Available on UCloud

Researchers in Denmark can now access NVIDIA Isaac Sim and NVIDIA Isaac Lab, advanced simulation platforms for robotics development, through UCloud’s App Store. This integration marks a major step toward making cutting-edge tools more accessible to the academic community.

What is Isaac Sim?

Isaac Sim is a powerful simulation platform built on NVIDIA Omniverse, designed to develop, test, and validate AI-driven robots in realistic virtual environments. Key features include:

  • Physically Accurate Simulation powered by NVIDIA PhysX
  • Sensor Simulation: Simulate various sensors, including cameras (RGB-D), Lidars, and IMUs, crucial for AI perception
  • ROS 2 integration (also available on UCloud) for seamless communication with physical robots.
  • OpenUSD-Based: Built on Universal Scene Description for data interchange and extensibility, allowing custom simulator creation
  • Synthetic Data Generation for creating large datasets to train AI models.
  • A rich library of SimReady 3D assets and pre-built robot models.

These capabilities allow researchers to simulate complex scenarios, optimize robot designs, and test algorithms without investing in costly physical hardware.

What is Isaac Lab?

Isaac Lab is an opensource, unified robot-learning framework built on Isaac Sim, specifically designed to streamline the training of robot learning (RL/IL) policies, offering tools for data management, randomization, and task creation.

Why UCloud Integration Matters

Having Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab available through UCloud’s App Store offers Danish researchers:

  • Easy access to advanced GPU resources without setting up local servers.
  • Security and compliance: UCloud is ISO 27001 certified and fully GDPR-compliant.
  • User-friendly experience: Launch apps with just a few clicks—no complicated installation required.
  • National collaboration: UCloud is part of DeiC’s national HPC infrastructure, enabling resource sharing across universities.
  • Scalability: From small prototypes to large-scale simulations, UCloud provides CPU and GPU resources, including NVIDIA H100 GPUs for AI and robotics.

Getting Started


Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab are available in UCloud’s App Store. All researchers affiliated with Danish universities can log in via WAYF and launch the application directly from UCloud – no local installation needed, everything runs in the cloud.

Isaac Sim documentation on UCloud

Isaac Lab documentation on UCloud

Categories
Application Interactive HPC Research Supercomputing Tutorial Workshop

Workshop 26/2: CVAT – AI-Assisted Labeling

Date: February 26, 2026

Time: 13:15 to 14:30 CET

Location: Online via Zoom

CVAT, Computer Vision Annotation Tool, is an interactive video and image annotation tool, designed to facilitate the annotation of video and image data and accelerate the creation of high-quality datasets for computer vision tasks. CVAT is available on the UCloud platform, in the Application Store.

The webinar will show how to use CVAT on UCloud to:

Label and annotate data with the help of AI and OpenCV tools, including:

  • Use of cvat-cli
  • Run built-in model for detection and auto-annotation
  • Use of GPUS with built in models for faster annotation
  • Adding custom models (e.g. YOLO)

Efficiently manage large visual datasets with MinIO:

  • Allow CVAT to directly pull images from your UCloud MinIO buckets for annotation and export annotated data back, reducing manual imports/exports and ensuring data availability.

Using UCloud allows users to create fully reproducible and secure workflows that leverage high performance computing resources. Those features are often necessary for large dataset and accurate computer vision tasks.

Target audience: Researchers across all Departments, particularly who require high-precision data labeling, AI interested.

Technical Level: Basic to Intermediate

Sign up for the CVAT workshop

Categories
Interactive HPC Supercomputing Tutorial Workshop

Workshop 19/2: Text classification using large language models

Date: 19 February 2026
Time: 13:15 – 14:30 (CET)
Location: Online, via Zoom

The purpose of this webinar is to demonstrate how to perform automated text classification using pre-trained, open-source large language models (LLMs). The efficiency that LLMs bring to otherwise laboursome workflows, such as text classification, makes it possible to work with much larger text corpora across all fields of research. The use case will focus on classifying text according to sentiment, but the general workflow is applicable to many other text classification tasks.

In the webinar, we will create a complete workflow which will consist of the following parts:

  1. Retrieving text data from online sources
  2. Storing and preparing the data for analysis
  3. Setting up the LLM text classifier
  4. Performing the text classification
  5. Displaying the results (for validation etc.)

The workflow will be set up on the UCloud platform. Using UCloud allows users to create fully reproducible and secure workflows that leverage high performance computing resources which are often necessary to run LLMs locally.

Sign up for the Text Classification workshop

Categories
Application Interactive HPC Supercomputing Tutorial Webinars & Tutorials - video Workshop

Webinar recording: Learn to record and transcribe securely with the Dictaphone app

In this webinar recording, you will watch a hands-on workshop introducing Dictaphone – a UCloud application that enables researchers to securely record and transcribe interviews directly from their own devices, even when working with sensitive data. 

In the recording, we guide you through how to: 

  • Record interviews and conversations using Dictaphone on your laptop or smartphone 
    Audio is streamed in real time to the secure UCloud backend, ensuring that no data is stored locally on your device – making Dictaphone well suited for handling sensitive data. 
  • Automatically transcribe recordings within the same workflow
    Dictaphone includes built-in transcription functionality, allowing you to convert speech to text quickly and efficiently. 
  • Make the most of Dictaphone, including tips, additional features, and real research use cases. 

This recording is relevant for researchers across all departments as well as students. 

Dictaphone is a beginner-friendly application and does not require any technical background. 

Time stamps 

  • 00:00 – 06:25: Introduction and getting started 
    Requirements, data classifications, and the basic workflow. 
  • 06:25 – 32:15: Live demonstration of Dictaphone 
    How to record and transcribe, and how to navigate the platform before and after recording. 
  • 32:15 – 33:50: Data storage and security 
    How Dictaphone stores data and why it is suitable for sensitive data. 
  • 33:50 – 35:30: Related resources and support 
    Other webinars, related UCloud apps, and contact information. 
  • 35:30 – 43:15: Q&A session 
    Questions from the participants. 
  • 43:15 – 44:22: Wrap-up and next steps 
    Summary and where to find further resources.