What Computing Resources and Software Does the EML Provide?

Updated

The Econometrics Laboratory (EML) at UC Berkeley is a computing facility that provides extensive server services, a compute cluster, remote access, and a wide selection of statistical, mathematical, and econometric software, along with comprehensive user support. It is dedicated to graduate-level instruction and to research by graduate students and faculty in the Department of Economics. If you are outside that group, the resources described here are not aimed at you.

What the EML Is

EML is a service-oriented computing facility within the Department of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. It operates as a unit of the Institute of Business and Economic Research and occupies space provided by the Department of Economics. Its stated focus is computationally intensive econometrics, supporting new developments in that area.

Computing Resources

The lab's offerings fall into a few practical categories:

  • Server services — extensive server capacity for users who need to run econometric work remotely rather than on a local machine.
  • A compute cluster — for jobs that require more than a single machine, listed as a distinct resource alongside remote access.
  • Hardware selection — the lab states a commitment to providing the best possible computational hardware for its users.
  • Software selection — a wide range of statistical, mathematical, and econometric software is maintained for users.
  • User support — comprehensive support is part of the service model, not an add-on.

How Access Works

The EML site organizes access into three starting points:

Entry point What it covers
Getting an EML account Establishing your credentials as an eligible user
Remote Access Connecting to lab resources from outside the facility
Compute Cluster Running work on the cluster rather than a single server

Remote access and the compute cluster are separate paths, so the right one depends on whether your job fits on a single server or needs cluster capacity. Eligibility is tied to graduate instruction and research in the Department of Economics, so an account request from outside that scope is unlikely to fit the lab's purpose.

Related Resources

The site also points to computing resources, the Econometrics Seminar, an About page, and a brief history of the EML. These are informational rather than computational, but the seminar listing is worth checking if you want to see what research the facility's community is currently presenting.