In his address, Jungk emphasized that the digitization of universities is an important concern for the ministry. Of the approximately two million euros in costs for the large-scale project at the KU, the State of Bavaria is covering just under 1.7 million euros, with the KU's ecclesiastical sponsor providing the remaining funds. "Appropriate equipment is a competitive factor for all universities. The best IT is characterized by the fact that you never notice it. The KU is cutting-edge and, with its Christian mission statement and high academic standards, is taking on the challenges of today and tomorrow. In these times especially, we are very glad that it contributes to our Bavarian university landscape. In the Bavarian State it will continue to have a reliable partner,” said Jungk. With the founding of the Mathematical Institute for Machine Learning and Data Science (MIDS) and the degree program in Data Science, digitization is no longer just a future topic at the KU, but also a significant new focus. “Your impressive successes show us very clearly: Our investments are falling on fertile ground!”
Opening event for new IT infrastructure at the KU: “Investments fall on fertile ground”
Prof. Dr. Jens Hogreve, Vice President for Research and responsible for IT issues in the KU Presidium, outlined in his speech that not only the technical necessity had made the major project necessary, but also the KU’s new research focus. Within a short period of time, the University has developed from a university with a strong humanities focus, into a “small digital player”. Under its motto of "A human-centered digital society," the KU wants to offer a complementary profile that combines digitization, sustainability and commitment. The new computing capacities are also the basis for further expanding competencies in the field of AI - for example, through research at the MIDS Data Center. Head of the Computer Center Dr. Nils Blümer and Stefan Wenzel, Head of Construction and Technical Facility Management, recalled the genesis of this massive project, which was accomplished simultaneously in Eichstätt and Ingolstadt. As early as 2017 different options had come up for discussion which all had to consider concerns about fire and burglary while safeguarding the efficiency, performance and reliability of the IT in the long term. The decision was then made in favor of a concept known as geo-redundancy: Instead of building or renting a large new server room to supply both sites, the University opted for a spatial distribution of the technology between Eichstätt and Ingolstadt. Thanks to fast data connections, however, it is linked together in such a way that it forms one system. In addition, this constellation will increase operational reliability in the medium term once the corresponding networks have been expanded: If the servers at one site fail, vital systems can be taken over by the other site.
The decision to convert the existing building, which is a listed building, meant that the necessary technology had to be accommodated in a limited space. To achieve this, the previous IT room at the Eichstätt site was moved from the first floor of the former Orangerie to the basement of the building. Whereas before the whole room housing the servers had to be cooled down, now only the so-called IT-safes - burglar-proof and watertight system cabinets are air-conditioned. Together with the new server architecture, this provides better energy efficiency. The server room at the Ingolstadt campus was modernized and increased. There, air conditioning is provided by separating cold and hot air: By physically separating the cooling air from the warm exhaust air, the efficiency of the cooling can be significantly increased.
In particular, the layout of the very small rooms at the Eichstätt campus proved a challenge in coordinating the more than 30 businesses involved. Room needed to be found for network technology, cooling, fire protection and battery emergency power. At the turn of the year, the IT infrastructure was then converted to the new technology.
After the server rooms, the University's data networks are now being upgraded. The goal is a comprehensive gigabit connection for all workstations and a fast direct connection between Eichstätt and Ingolstadt. This project also includes a so-called next-generation firewall and new security technology to protect IT from attacks, data loss and interruptions.