StFX is one of four host sites for the Atlantic Computational Excellence Network, a pan-Atlantic High Performance Computing (HPC) consortium of nine universities. Known as ACE net, the network provides HPC resources and collaboration tools. With approximately 1,500 ACE net computer processors on campus, StFX attracts leading science faculty and provides a powerful advantage to students in a range of disciplines. The value of the StFX project to date is $4.5 million, including $1.2 million in vendor in-kind support. In year one, ACE net funded $80,000 in post-doctoral fellowships at the university. In addition, StFX’s role in ACE net has created three new technical and support positions, including ACE net’s chief technology officer. HPC modeling is used to simulate complex behaviour in real systems: from the motion of electrons in a metal to predicting the impact of sea ice on an oil rig to optimization of human movement.