Towards a Pan-European HPC Competency Network: EuroCC and CASTIEL

With funding from the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), EuroCC and CASTIEL will build a European network of 33 national HPC competence centres. The two projects will bridge the existing HPC skills gaps while promoting cooperation and the implementation of best practices across Europe hence building a sustainable and globally competitive European HPC ecosystem. They will serve research and science in academia while also supporting industries in European member states with a particular focus on encouraging small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to turn to and exploit the advantages of HPC.

EuroCC is one of the first major projects to be supported by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which was established in 2018. The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking marked the start of a new, Europe-wide approach to HPC investment by facilitating closer coordination of all participating states in the realms of infrastructure, technology development, and the development of advanced software. EuroCC will take this effort one step further by facilitating the development of a coordinated, integrated, high level of expertise across Europe in high-performance computing and related disciplines for science and industry, such as high-performance data analytics, classical simulation, and artificial intelligence.

To achieve this goal, each of the 33 member states will designate a national HPC competence center. These centers will be charged with mapping and expanding HPC competencies at the national level and identifying available expertise and knowledge gaps across the country. Over time, the competence centers will become national resources for identifying and coordinating technical knowledge, training resources, industrial outreach, and HPC services and tools for all computing centers in their home countries.

While EuroCC coordinates HPC expertise within each participating state, CASTIEL will lead activities to promote interaction and the exchange of expertise across the entire EuroCC network.

The projects officially start on September 1, 2020, and will last for two years. Approximately half of the funding of €60 million to support the creation of the competence centers is being provided by the EuroHPC JU, while the other half will come from the individual countries.

External links:

EuroCC:    Website, LinkedIn, Twitter

CASTIEL:  Website, LinkedIn, Twitter

For more information please see the press releases of the EC and GCS:

EuroCC and CASTIEL: two new projects to boost European HPC knowledge and opportunities

GCS Coordinates Projects to Build Pan-European HPC Competency Network

Related topics:

Austria joins EuroHPC

Austria joins PRACE

(Announcement first posted on 01.09.2020.)