IRIC - Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer

Published on February 26, 2026

IRIC’s information technology (IT) team has obtained funding from the Vice-Rectorate for Research and Innovation of the Université de Montréal to replace outdated cooling units with more energy-efficient models.

 

Environmental gains that will also benefit research

IRIC has a computer room that centralizes servers, storage units, a robotic backup system, and a computing cluster. This infrastructure provides all the data analysis and management services required by the Institute’s research laboratories and scientific platforms. It also serves the scientific community at the Université de Montréal, as well as numerous partners in Quebec and internationally.

The funded project aims to replace the two cooling units that ensure the proper functioning of the equipment with more high-performance, energy-efficient units. Without cooling, none of IRIC’s computing services could function: computing cluster, databases, analysis programs, etc. Since the systems operate continuously, upgrading the cooling units will result in annual energy savings of more than 5,000 kWh, contributing to a tangible reduction in IRIC’s carbon footprint.

Beyond the environmental benefits, the upgrade will have a direct impact on the research conducted at IRIC. The increased cooling capacity will support denser, more energy-intensive computing infrastructures, including the next-generation graphics processing units (GPUs) required for artificial intelligence (AI) analyses. The resilience and sustainability of IRIC’s IT infrastructure will be improved overall.

 

A growth that requires enhanced capabilities

IRIC’s Bioinformatics and Artificial Intelligence axis, created in 2024, is dedicated to the development and application of cutting-edge computer technologies for the processing and analysis of big data in biomedical research, and to the development of new therapeutic solutions. The tools and approaches developed enable the identification of therapeutic targets, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and new tumor antigens, as well as the design of new molecules for therapeutic use.

The recent creation of a philanthropic subscription fund in biomedical data science is catalyzing the development of this area in terms of recruitment, start-up funds, and support for collaborative projects. Two new research teams, led by young researchers Carino Gurjao and Olivier Mailhot, joined IRIC in 2025. With the marked growth of this area, maintaining and improving storage and computing infrastructure has become a priority.

“With the growth of our bioinformatics research axis, the next challenge will be to upgrade our server room capacity to meet the energy demands of AI,” explains Patrick Gendron, IRIC’s IT and bioinformatics platform manager.

Congratulations to the entire IT team on securing this funding!