Supercomputing Resources for SMEs - Importance of HPC for Enterprise - Dr-ing. Bastian Koller, Manager and Acting Director HLRS Stuttgart

The EuroCC project is co-funded by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (JU) and started in September 2020, addressing the diversity of the use of High-Performance Computing and related technologies by academia, industry and the public services.

Initially, 33 nations participate in this two year action, bringing  their experiences and requirements, each of them aiming to set up a National Competence Centre (NCC). With a total budget of over €56m (which includes funding from the JU via the H2020 program and funding by the different countries), this is an important and focused action to boost the capabilities of the individual European member states.

These NCCs are intended to act on a national level and connect with HPC-actors in their country, but also within a European network. One goal is the provision of access to leading-edge HPC technology and related technologies such as High Performance Data Analytics (HPDA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Furthermore, the mission is to create a national knowledge hub, tailored to  the stakeholders’ specific needs and in line with every individual country’s current level of maturity in HPC. Thus, prototypical actions will be implemented, including further Training and Skills Development, establishing interactions with industry, mapping the available competences in the countries and identifying the gaps.

It has to be acknowledged that, due to the fact that historically the use of HPC and its uptake in the single nations was treated differently, there is quite a difference in their current levels. This provides  an opportunity to connect the experts in the field to less experienced stakeholders in other NCCs. Therefore, a Coordination and Support Action – called CASTIEL – is closely aligned with EuroCC,  implementing the support and coordination network to foster the exchange of knowledge.

EuroCC is an important pillar in the overall strategy for High Performance Computing in Europe and a natural next step within the EuroHPC Joint Undertakings mission. Strengthening competences in all the participating states will lead to a strong and capable HPC Ecosystem in Europe and increase its competitiveness in a global context. 

Bastian Koller, Manager and Acting Director, HLRS, Stuttgart.