Research Exploration and Discovery (READ) Credits are fully subsidized by OSVPR and offer all users the ability to conduct important HPC-powered research on the Roar system at no cost to them.

READ Credits can be used to run jobs with all types of compute hardware, including GPUs.

The READ Credit system replaces the former “Open Queue.” You can read more about this transition here.

READ Credit Basics

• Each Roar account holder will receive an allotment of READ Credits automatically each month. During the initial rollout of this system, users will receive 10 READ Credits in January, 8 in February, and 5 in March, before settling at a constant (TBD) monthly number in April 2026. 
• Your monthly allotment of READ Credits expires at the end of each month, so plan to utilize them before using your paid Credits. You can determine your remaining READ Credit balance at any time with the command get_balance on the command line.
• Your monthly allotment of READ Credits are deposited into your personal open account and as such cannot be shared with other users. 

 

Apply for Additional READ Credits

Penn State faculty may apply for additional READ Credits. Graduate students interested in receiving additional READ Credits must ask their advisor to apply on their behalf.  Before applying:

• Contact your Associate Dean for Research and/or Department Head; your college or department may have purchased blocks of Roar compute Credits that you may be able to access for your project. 
• Consider the number of Credits needed for your project as well as the duration of your project. Visit our Service Details and Rates page for tools to help you estimate your Credit needs, or contact us at icds@psu.edu for a consultation.

• You must have a RC account before any credits are awarded. Visit the accounts creation page to establish a Roar account.

Apply for Additional READ Credits here.

Please note:

• Unlike your monthly allotment of READ credits which are not transferrable to other users, Credits distributed under this application process are intended for use by PI groups and as such may be accessed by multiple users. 
• Smaller requests have minimal application requirements and can be processed quickly. Applications for larger numbers of Credits require additional information and will take longer to process.