EuroCC and CASTIEL projects will form a network of 33 national centres dedicated to high performance computing.
The two most recent European projects in the area of high performance computing (HPC) started on 1 September 2020. With a total budget of around 60 million euros, these initiatives are scheduled to last two years and will result in the foundation of a European HPC network, with the creation of 33 national competence centres in this area.
The ultimate goal is for these new structures to coordinate the installed HPC capacity in each country, in order to place these resources at the service of members of the scientific and research community. In this way, explains the European Commission, it will be possible to facilitate access to HPC tools by creating solutions designed according to the specific needs diagnosed.
The two initiatives are complementary. In addition to the foundation project of this network (EuroCC), the CASTIEL initiative will seek to promote interaction and knowledge exchange within this new European structure. The aim is that, through this exchange of best practices and sharing of experiences, it is possible to foster potential collaborations. To this end, the CASTIEL project will promote activities such as international workshops and mentoring moments, as well as stimulate the formation of partnerships between institutions.
Both projects are coordinated by the Stuttgart Centre for High Performance Computing - one of the members of the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing.
What is High Performance Computing (HPC)?
HPC is one of the aspects of Advanced Computing - a tool at the service of scientific development. Through this type of resource, advanced data analysis, artificial intelligence or simulation techniques, for example, can be applied to find answers to complex problems and challenges.
In Portugal, there are several structures that provide these tools, including the Unit FCCN, a pioneer in the implementation of supercomputing projects, and lately within the scope of the EuroHPC project, with participation in solutions such as the National Distributed Computing Infrastructure (INCD) or the Minho Advanced Computing Center. In 2019, the first Portuguese supercomputer was also installed - the BOB - which involved a partnership between FCT, the University of Minho and the University of Texas.
The Deucalion supercomputer is also scheduled to be installed soon - an investment of 25 million euros supported in part by funds from EuroHPC (50%) and European structural funds (30%). This new equipment will have the capacity to perform 10 billion operations per second and will integrate the Minho Advanced Computing Center (MACC).
