About

Even in the long history of science, the pace of recent advances in
information technology stands out. AI and other information
technologies are transforming virtually every aspect of research,
education, and university operations. The Research Institute for
Information Technology (RIIT) has a history spanning more than half a
century, tracing its roots to Kyushu University’s Computer Center. Yet
what is expected of us has never changed so rapidly.

These changes extend to every component of our information
infrastructure. Growing data volumes require faster networks and
larger-scale data infrastructure. As AI is increasingly used in
cyberattacks, the need for robust cybersecurity is greater than ever.
New approaches to research, exemplified by AI for Science, require
large-scale computing resources, particularly GPUs, and RIIT is
enhancing its computing infrastructure, with the Genkai supercomputer
at its core. These resources also place growing demands on power and
cooling infrastructure.

To continue providing dependable information infrastructure amid such
rapid change, RIIT seeks not merely to respond to it, but to
anticipate it. Rather than simply gathering information about emerging
technologies, we draw on our strengths as a research institute to test
and evaluate them directly and assess their potential for practical
use in our services. We also engage in dialogue with researchers
within and beyond Kyushu University, as well as with colleagues
engaged in university operations, to understand what is needed now. To
support our users and promote the adoption of new technologies, we
believe it is essential that we ourselves continue to learn.

These efforts are carried out through close collaboration across our
research sections, which cover networking, cybersecurity, educational
information infrastructure, data science, and computing. In
information security in particular, we work closely with the Kyushu
University Cybersecurity Center to safeguard the information
environment underpinning education and research across the University.
RIIT is also one of the constituent centers of the Joint
Usage/Research Center for Interdisciplinary Large-scale Information
Infrastructures (JHPCN) and an HPCI System Provider within the
innovative High-Performance Computing Infrastructure (HPCI). Through
these national frameworks, we provide researchers at universities,
research institutions, and companies throughout Japan with computing
resources and opportunities for collaborative research.

Today, information infrastructure is as indispensable as electricity
and water, yet when it works as it should, it often goes unnoticed. In
an era of rapid technological change, however, keeping this
infrastructure working reliably depends on continuous improvement and
a willingness to take on new challenges. RIIT will continue to support
Kyushu University and the broader academic community in ways both
visible and behind the scenes. Together, we will help pave the way for
new forms of research and education.