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EuroHPC User Day 2024: Gathering of the European Supercomputing Community

At the end of October, the second edition of the EuroHPC User Day was held in Amsterdam. The meeting attracted nearly 200 participants, mainly active users of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking supercomputers. There were also representatives of supercomputer operators and downstream service providers, including the representatives of the Czech National Competence Centre in HPC.

The program included presentations of completed and upcoming supercomputing and quantum infrastructure installations. Furthermore, selected users presented their projects and shared best practices in their implementation using European supercomputers. The meeting also offered a space for consultation and networking with users of the operators of individual supercomputers operated under the EuroHPC JU. Interested participants also had the opportunity to learn about the Czech Karolina supercomputer, the planned quantum computer of the LUMI-Q consortium and the services of IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center.

An interesting part of the programme was the presentation of the current EuroHPC JU grant competitions for obtaining computational resources. These challenges are open not only for academics but also for companies and startups.

For those interested in the practical use of supercomputers, we offer expert consultations and help navigating through the most up-to-date access options. Do not hesitate to contact us.

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Interview: Roman Iakymchuk – Center of Excellence CEEC Pioneers Exascale Computing of Gas and Liquid Flows

Roman Iakymchuk, the co-principal investigator of the Center of Excellence* in Exascale CFD (CEEC), leads the work package on Exascale Algorithms. We spoke with him about the mission of CEEC, their pioneering efforts in exascale supercomputing, and the ambitious “lighthouse” use cases that aim to demonstrate the transformative potential of exascale computing for key computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications. Discover how CEEC is working to bring European supercomputing codes to an exascale-ready state, solve complex problems in gas and liquid flows, and share invaluable insights with the broader community.

 

Could you tell me more about the main mission of CEEC?

The mission of CEEC consists of 3 aspects.

Our main focus is to bring European supercomputing codes to the form suitable for exascale computing power, which is more than a quintillion (1018) calculations each second.

Some simulation codes can be partly solved with pre-exascale supercomputers but need the exascale power to be solved completely. We want to help solve more challenging problems connected to the topics of gases and liquid flows by the development of new efficient exascale codes. With the advantage of supercomputers and efficient numerical algorithms, complex systems like these flows can be simulated with increasing realism.

CEEC’s ambition is to enable the use of exascale computers for key computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications and demonstrate their capabilities through key lighthouse cases.

The last but not least aspect of CoE CEEC’s mission is to communicate our lessons learned to the community. Our experts share their expertise and experience with the code developers for example and support them with knowing how to transform codes to exascale form.

 

How do you see the use of exascale, and do you have a use case for exascale?

Our CoE CEEC has 6 lighthouse cases which are the use cases demonstrating the ambition to enable the use of exascale computers for key computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications. Lighthouse topics include, for example, atmospheric simulations, static mixers topology optimisation, aeroelastic simulations of the wing, localisation of the erosion of an offshore wind turbine, and more. Find the details on our website ceec-coe.eu

 

It was a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you for your time. The interview was conducted during the High Performance Computing in Science and Engineering – HPCSE 2024 conference organised by IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center and supported by the National Competence Centre  in HPC (NCC) as the main partner.

 

Roman Iakymchuk

Co-principal investigator of the Center of Excellence for Exascale CFD (CEEC), Associate Professor (lecturer, docent) at Umeå University, Sweden

 

*There are ten Centres of Excellence launched by the European High Performance Computing (HPC) Joint Undertaking. The aim of the centre is to support research and Innovation actions that will develop and adapt HPC applications for the exascale and post-exascale supercomputing era. Exascale computing is a type of ultra-powerful supercomputing, with systems performing a quintillion 1018 calculations each second.

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In the very heart of the most significant innovation and AI event of the year – Innovation Week

At the beginning of autumn, the Innovation Week, the most significant event in innovation and artificial intelligence (AI) in the Czech Republic, took place for the ninth time. During this prestigious event, which attracted more than 5,000 visitors, we presented the possible uses of supercomputers for Czech companies at our Innovation Fair booth. Our presentation, “Supercomputers are not science fiction. They help companies gain competitive advantage, save money and time,” attracted more than 70 attendees.

The representation of exhibitors at the fair clearly showed that AI applications are a hot topic in innovation and business. Often, these were various forms of generative AI, such as specialised chatbots and retrained large language models for specific sectors such as business or HR.

We not only introduced visitors to the use of supercomputers for AI and large language model development but also explained what supercomputers are, how they differ from regular computers, and how companies can use them effectively to improve their bottom line. We also discussed the cost of computational resources and presented information on the current FFplus call, which offers companies financial support for supercomputing projects.

We also observed a growing interest in quantum computing and its practical applications. What also caught the attention of many was the planned installation of a quantum computer in IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center, marking a huge milestone in the field of state-of-the-art technologies in the Czech Republic.

We also observed a growing interest in quantum computing and its practical applications. What also caught the attention of many was the upcoming installation of a quantum computer in IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center, marking a huge milestone in the field of state-of-the-art technologies in the Czech Republic.

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Photo gallery: We helped turn an ordinary Friday night into the Researchers’ Night

On Friday, September 27, we traditionally opened the doors of IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center to the public as part of the nationwide science and technology outreach event, Researchers’ Night 2024.

The National Competence Centre in HPC (NCC) booth was again one of the busiest, with more than 400 visitors taking home prizes for solving a knowledge quiz and puzzles.

In an entertaining wheel of fortune form, our supercomputing quiz tested the knowledge of children and adults in supercomputing as well as quantum computing. The youngest children then tackled supercomputing puzzles and brainteasers.

In addition, Tomáš Karásek, Head of the NCC, outlined in a presentation how Czech companies are currently using supercomputers in practice and the possibilities for companies to access supercomputers and funding.

Look at the photo gallery and soak up the atmosphere of this year’s Researchers’ Night.

For more information, please see the IT4Innovations website.

 

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Czech quantum simulator enables testing of new algorithms

At the beginning of the summer, IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center launched a new CUDA Quantum simulator, which can be run on the Karolina and Barbora supercomputers in Ostrava. It is available to all IT4Innovations users with an active project and, thus, also to Czech companies.

“The simulator is relatively easy to start with,” explains Silvie Illésová from the IT4Innovations Quantum Computing Lab. “The documentation contains an illustrative example that anyone can try out after installation,” adds Illésová. Currently, QPU calculations are simulated on supercomputer GPUs, and tasks can be programmed in Python. In addition, the use of a coda environment makes its installation user-friendly.

CUDA Quantum facilitates hybrid application development and significantly increases the productivity and scalability of quantum computing. It enables 30 qubits to be simulated seamlessly on a single Karolina supercomputer GPU. “The quantum simulator is widely used because current quantum computers are not yet suitable for proof-of-concept of new algorithms. The QPU simulation on GPUs makes this simulator ideal for tasks employing a larger number of qubits and for hybrid algorithms combining classical high-performance computing and quantum computing,” says Silvia Illesova.

If you are interested, see here for detailed instructions.

We will be happy to help you with using supercomputers and the quantum simulator. Contact us.

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The prestigious international conference PPAM 2024 took place in the heart of Ostrava

World leaders in supercomputing gathered for four days in Ostrava. From 8 to 11 September, the 15th International Conference “Parallel Processing and Applied Mathematics” (PPAM) occurred here. This important conference was organised by the Czestochowa University of Technology in Poland in cooperation with the IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Centre and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the VSB-TUO.

One of the special guests was the legendary Jack Dongarra of the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, whose groundbreaking work has fundamentally influenced current standards in supercomputing. The “father of supercomputing” was even interviewed, which you can read or listen to as a podcast. PPAM was also graced with Satoshi Matsuoka, Director of the RIKEN Center for Computational Science, who was behind developing some of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. Experts from IT4Innovations Lubomír Říha and Ondřej Vysocký also presented their expertise at the conference.

This year’s PPAM focused on parallel and distributed computing, including both theory and applications and applied mathematics. The presentations focused on models, algorithms, and software tools that facilitate efficient and convenient use of modern parallel and distributed computing architectures and large-scale applications. Particular attention was paid to the future of computing beyond Moore’s Law or the role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in high-performance computing.

Find out more on the IT4Innovations LinkedIn or the official conference website.

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Photo Gallery: Art & Science Ostrava

At the beginning of the school year, on September 5, 2024, the ninth edition of the unique Art & Science Festival, which combines science, research and education with creative thinking and art, took place on the campus of VŠB-TUO. The scientific and artistic parts of the programme are naturally intertwined and complement each other, because “doing science” is always art and art is sometimes a science too.

Children, teachers and the general public had the opportunity to learn more about the world of supercomputing and, thanks to the National Centre of Competence for HPC, about the use of supercomputers in practice at the IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Centre’s booth. The lucky quiz round, puzzles and the knowledge game for super prizes were popular again.

Soak up the festival atmosphere from our photo gallery.

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EUR 8 million for companies interested in solving their challenges with supercomputers

The FFplus project has launched a new open call for small and medium-sized European enterprises. The call is aimed at agile, innovative companies that decide to use supercomputers in practice and gain a competitive advantage in the market.

Strengthening innovation and development of European industry

The FFplus project is the fourth edition of a highly successful initiative that directly addresses how to help businesses overcome the barriers to using supercomputing and high-performance data analytics in practice or working with and developing generative AI. In particular, the aim is to strengthen the global competitiveness of European industry.

In recent years, dozens of companies from all over Europe have successfully passed the open calls for using supercomputers. Be inspired by their stories published on the FFplus website.  

The FFplus call is divided into two parts:

1. BUSINESS EXPERIMENTS

The first part of the call is aimed at enterprises with no previous supercomputing experience across all sectors. In this call, enterprises can submit their “experiments”, i.e. projects that solve a specific business challenge using supercomputing technologies, high-performance data analytics, and artificial intelligence. Experiments are expected to last a maximum of 15 months, with a scheduled commencement date of 1 January 2025.

Experiment duration expected: max. 15 months.

Planned start date: 1 January 2025.

An amount of EUR 4 million for funding experiments will be distributed among all selected individual projects. There is a limit of EUR 200,000 per experiment application.

The deadline for applications is 4 September 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

2. INNOVATION STUDIES

The second part of the FFplus call will support companies and startups that are already active in generative AI but lack the necessary computational resources to develop their own models. The aim is to facilitate and strengthen the technological development of European companies in AI.

Participating companies will be supported in increasing their innovation potential by leveraging new generative AI models, such as large language models (LLMs), based on their expertise, application domain, business model, and potential for expansion.

Submitted “innovation studies / use cases” must use extensive European supercomputing resources (pre-exascale and exascale) to develop and adapt generative AI models (e.g. LLM).

Experiment duration expected: max. 10 months.

Planned start date: 1 December 2024.

An amount of EUR 4 million for funding experiments will be distributed among all selected individual projects. There is a limit of EUR 300,000 per study application.

The deadline for applications is 4 September 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

Are you interested in this opportunity? Find out more on the FFplus website.

Contact us, and experts at the National Competence Centre in HPC will gladly assist with the experiment’s setup and submission.

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Supercomputers in the Spotlight at the 2024 Science Fair

The National Competence Center for High-Performance Computing (HPC) was once again a prominent presence at the Science Fair, the largest science popularisation event in the Czech Republic for children and the general public. At the IT4Innovations booth, the national supercomputing centre, more than 1800 participants engaged in the prize program. Overall, the event reported participation from over 58,000 science enthusiasts.

During the event, we primarily disseminated basic information about the existence of the national supercomputing center in Ostrava, which currently operates two supercomputers: Karolina and Barbora. We explained what supercomputers are, their applications, and who can access them. Additionally, we highlighted the opportunity for Czech companies to test the computational power of supercomputers through the services of the National Competence Center for HPC.

For those interested in deeper technical details, we showcased the retired hardware components of the Salomon supercomputer. Visitors could also verify their knowledge of supercomputing through a fun quiz, and the “Harry Potter and the Magic of Supercomputing” game was a big hit with children.

This year’s Science Fair, organized by the Czech Academy of Sciences since 2015, took place at the PVA Expo in Letňany, Prague, from May 30th to June 1st, 2024.

Feel free to check out the short photo report and immerse yourself in the local atmosphere!

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HPCSE 2024: New partnerships, discussions, and success stories of using supercomputers in practice

Successful partnership of the High-Performance Computing in Science and Engineering 2024 Conference

We are pleased to have had the opportunity to participate as a partner in organising the High-Performance Computing in Science and Engineering (HPCSE 2024) conference for the second time. Since 2013, IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center in Ostrava has organised the conference at regular two-year intervals.

Nearly 90 experts from the world of supercomputing, high-performance data analysis, AI, and quantum computing gathered at the Soláň Hotel in the Beskydy mountains from 20 to 23 May 2024. Experts, scientists, and representatives of Centres of Excellence and industry were present. At the conference, the National Competence Centre in HPC (NCC) presented its activities and services and, above all, its educational programmes and collaboration success stories in practice.

Tomáš Karásek, Head of the NCC, spoke during the presentation about the interest of Czech companies in using supercomputers.  “Since our foundation, we have already established a number of successful collaborations with companies in practice across industries. From healthcare to architectural studios and construction, energy, engineering, transport, security, industry, agriculture, and more,” says Tomáš Karásek.

Moreover, thanks to networking, we managed to establish new valuable contacts.  We discussed the possibilities of cooperation and networking with the community of Czech AI startups, for whom our services and European calls for computational resources may be interesting. The conference also produced interesting interviews with selected participants, which you can look forward to soon. So, stay in touch with us, whether it be via social media or the newsletter.

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