C U S TO M E R S U C C E S S S TU DY

Peptone accelerates
protein-based drug
discovery at Verne
Global’s NVIDIA DGXCampusCutting edge research is hard tohandle
To build its repository of proteins, Peptone must
capture, store and analyse huge amounts of data,orchestrated and supervised by reinforcement
learning algorithms. Reinforcement learning is
the training of machine learning models to makea sequence of decisions. The agent learns toachieve a goal in an uncertain, potentially complex
environment.
Peptone approached Scan – the fully-managed
infrastructure specialist – to help it find a solution.
Taking advantage of its long-standing relationshipwith NVIDIA, Scan helped Peptone unlock thepotential of its research by running its deep neuralnetwork models on an NVIDIA DGX A100 system.
As the world-leading AI platform, this NVIDIA
supercomputer accelerates and dramaticallyimproves the accuracy of Peptone’s AI-driven
research programmes at scale.

Protein structures and their various
conformations are dynamic and complex.
Proteins such as receptors, antibodies,
growth factors, and hormones have a vast
number of potential variations in structure
and their molecular behaviour can bevaried. Proteins can aggregate, or stick
together, altering their characteristics,
and one protein’s interaction with anothercan change its shape and functionality.
Understanding how proteins act, knowing
their size, and visualising how they look is afundamental key to creating protein-based
drugs and vaccines.
UK-headquartered Peptone is at thevery forefront of this research. Artificial
intelligence methods are used to analyse
the anomalous behaviour of proteins andthe most desirable protein variants areidentified for further drug development
research. This approach helps scientists
identify the right proteins quickly and is amore time and cost-effective method over
wet lab approaches.

With Scan on hand to ensure Peptone’s NVIDIA
infrastructure could support its high-throughput
workflows, the next task was to find a data center
facility equipped to host and support this highly
specialised equipment. In addition, with privacy andsecurity top-of-mind for Peptone’s pharmaceuticalcustomers, there was a reluctance to place thisvaluable, proprietary data in the cloud.

Hosting Peptone’s supercomputer in asecure, renewable environment
Peptone selected Verne Global’s HPC-optimised
data center campus as the ideal location to host,train and optimise its drug development researchfor protein supercomputing. As one of a small
number of data centers around the world that is
NVIDIA DGX-Ready, it is a natural destination for
Scan clients. Furthermore, Verne Global shares
Scan’s laser-sharp focus on customer success,which allows Peptone to run its infrastructure in an
optimised environment designed to support highdensity, high performance compute, all backed up
with an expert onsite team.
Fuelled by Iceland’s reliable and sustainablypowered modern power grid, the data center is also
the only NVIDIA DGX-Ready colocation provider
running on 100 percent renewable energy sources.
Verne Global’s facility is a secure, low-risk, andreliable environment in which Peptone can houseand scale its compute.

Supernatural results
Unparalleled potential to scale
Hosting Peptone’s Supercomputer in a Secure, Renewable

Peptone’s research is changing the world, and a hybrid
Environment
supercomputing cloud solution creates the perfectenvironment for Peptone to push the boundaries of its AIdriven engineering of protein therapeutics. Its PeOS
platformselected Verne Global’s HPC-optimised data center
Peptonehas been developed to handle massively parallel simulations
campus as the ideal location to host, train and optimise its
and Peptone’s high throughput workflows are deployed
drug ondevelopment research for protein supercomputing.
NVIDIA’s DGX A100 supercomputer nodes in Verne Global’s
As one of a small number of data centers around the world
Icelandic facility, providing uninterrupted and reliable accessthatalongis NVIDIA DGX-Ready, it is a natural destination for Scan
to the best in-class AI and supercomputing hardware,clients.
with ongoing onsite support to ensure the technology
is Furthermore, Verne Global shares Scan’s laser-sharp
focus on customer success, which allows Peptone to run
running optimally.

100%

its infrastructure in an optimised environment designed toLocating its compute with Verne Global allows Peptone thesupport high density, high performance compute, all backed
freedom to focus on its ground-breaking research – without
up with an expert onsite team.
limits. Installed in a specialised, highly-optimised data center
environment, with 5 petaFLOPS of AI performance in a 6U form
factor, and a single platform for every AI workload,Fuelled
Peptoneby
hasIceland’s reliable and sustainably-powered modern
the flexibility to scale its AI-driven protein engineeringsystempower
grid, the data center is also the only NVIDIA DGX-Readyon-demand, while maintaining full visibility of operations
and provider running on 100 percent renewable energy
colocation
keeping the data in sight at all times.
Renewables-powered data centersources. Verne Global’s facility is a secure, low-risk, andplus
year-roundreliable environment in whichcampus
Peptone canhouseand scale its freecompute.
cooling has dramatically lowered

Innovation doesn’t mean you have toplay it safe

Peptone’s mission critical infrastructure and highly sensitive
customer data is housed in Verne Global’s data center campus
built upon a highly secure former NATO base. Physical security
is prioritised, with more than eight challenge points between
the outside and the servers, wide-scale use of CCTV cameras
and analytics, routine physical patrols, and staff on site 24/7.

Changing the world, not exhausting it
Operating an on-premise HPC system can often come ata large financial cost, while it can also have a detrimental
effect on the environment. However, locating its computewith Verne Global means the financial and carbon costsof its high-throughput workflows are not barriers to either
Peptone or its pharmaceutical industry customers. At Verne
Global, Peptone is harnessing the Earth’s own superpowers byrunning its compute on one of the most reliable and affordable
modern power grids in the world, which is in turn powered by
100 percent hydroelectric and geothermal renewable energy
sources. Iceland’s temperate climate ensures the facility has
access to ambient air cooling, lowering operational energy
costs further. By plugging into the Earth via Verne Global’s
data center campus, Peptone has decreased its carbon
footprint and total cost of ownership while maintaining
industry-leading levels of electrical efficiency.

Make an impact
from the ground up.

Peptone’s carbon footprint.

“Verne Global is theideal partner for our
hybrid supercomputing
cloud approach due
to its foundation insustainability, global
connectivity andreassuring ability tokeep our world-leading
practical researchcompletely secure.
Dr. Kamil Tamiola
Founder & CEO, Peptone

info@verneglobal.com | verneglobal.com