Europe and High-Performance Computing: Trends, challenges and future prospects

Current trends in High Performance Computing (HPC)

High-performance computing (HPC) is developing rapidly. In particular, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) leads to sharply increasing computing requirements. At the same time, traditional HPC applications, such as material research or fluid dynamics, are becoming increasingly complex and also require increasingly powerful systems.

In the past, access to HPC was mainly reserved for large companies and state institutions. Today, more powerful processors and cloud computing solutions also enable small and medium-sized enterprises to use HPC technologies without high initial investment.

 

Europe and the challenge of dependency

Despite the growing importance of HPC, Europe is heavily dependent on non-European technology providers in this area. To counter this trend, the EuroHPC initiative was launched. The aim of EuroHPC is to finance and further develop supercomputers in Europe in order to strengthen European competitiveness in the global technology market.

 

The European Processor Initiative (EPI)

An important step towards reducing dependence on non-European technologies is the European Processor Initiative (EPI). Its aim is to develop its own European processor technologies, thereby driving innovation in the semiconductor industry. Processors are at the heart of modern digitalisation and are now found not only in classical computers and smartphones, but also in a variety of embedded systems and IoT devices.

 

RISC-V: An open architecture for more independence

A key element of the European Processor Initiative is the use of the open RISC-V architecture. Unlike proprietary processor architectures, which are dominated by a few companies, RISC-V offers an open and licence-free alternative. Companies with appropriate expertise can develop and market their own processors on the basis of RISC-V without incurring high licensing costs or long-term dependencies on individual producers.

RISC-V is also becoming more important internationally. Many countries are increasingly relying on this architecture, so that Europe with RISC-V does not develop an isolated special solution, but is part of a global trend.

 

Conclusion

Europe faces major challenges in high performance computing, but also promising opportunities. Through programmes such as EuroHPC and initiatives such as EPI, the continent is becoming increasingly independent from non-European suppliers. In particular, focusing on open architectures such as RISC-V could make Europe a key player in the global HPC and semiconductor market in the long term.

 

HPC sites:

An overview of European supercomputers of the European EuroHPC JU Initiative (European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking) can be found on the EuroHPC JU website Our supercomputers – EuroHPC JU