The EuroHPC JU, a European high-performance computing entity, has launched a call to strengthen cooperation with India in High-Performance Computing (HPC). The initiative aims to boost the co-development of applications, facilitate exchanges of researchers and engineers, and improve the sharing of information and expertise to solve societal problems. The collaboration will focus on areas of common interest, such as biomedical/drug discovery, climate change/natural hazards, and quantum computing applications. The call is open for submissions until May 7, 2024, and is funded by Horizon Europe, the EU’s Research and Innovation funding program.
EU-India Collaboration in High-Performance Computing
The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (JU) has initiated a call to bolster collaboration with India in the realm of High-Performance Computing (HPC). This initiative aims to enhance the co-development of applications and facilitate the exchange of researchers and engineers between India and the European Union (EU).
The call, titled HORIZON-EUROHPC-JU-2023-INCO-06-01: EU-India, has several objectives. Firstly, it seeks to fortify the European HPC ecosystem by enabling European stakeholders to improve HPC applications and codes in academic and industrial scenarios that interest Europe and India. Secondly, it aims to enhance the sharing of information and expertise to address common societal issues using advanced computing.
Facilitating Exchange and Improving International Cooperation
Another key objective of the call is to facilitate the exchange of researchers and engineers between India and the EU, and to provide them with access to advanced Indian and EuroHPC JU supercomputing resources. The initiative also aims to improve the international cooperation of EU-India HPC communities on advanced HPC application development, with a roadmap for future collaboration in targeted areas.
The action will specifically target the domains of common interest with India, as identified in the India-EU Intent for Cooperation on High-Performance Computing, Weather Extremes, Climate Modelling, and Quantum Technologies, signed in November 2022. These domains include biomedical/drug discovery, climate change/natural hazards, and quantum computing applications.
EuroHPC JU’s Role in EU Digital Partnerships Strategy
The EuroHPC JU’s initiative aligns with the European Commission’s EU Digital Partnerships Strategy, which aims to advance cooperation on digital issues with like-minded third countries. The EuroHPC JU must develop strategic research and innovation partnerships in HPC with nations such as Japan, Brazil, the USA, and India. These partnerships aim to advance HPC applications in domains of shared interest, including facilitating researcher access to EuroHPC JU resources and co-developing HPC applications.
This is the second international cooperation initiative from the EuroHPC JU, following the international collaboration call with Japan launched in February 2023.
The call is open for submissions until May 7, 2024, at 17:00 (CET). It is funded by Horizon Europe, the EU’s Research and Innovation funding program, with a total budget of up to EUR 5 million.
Background of EuroHPC JU
The EuroHPC JU is a legal and funding entity, created in 2018 and reviewed in 2021 by means of Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173. Its mission is to develop, deploy, extend and maintain in the EU a world-leading federated, secure and hyper-connected supercomputing, quantum computing, service and data infrastructure ecosystem.
The Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 mandates the EuroHPC JU to develop strategic research and innovation partnerships in HPC with third countries like Japan, Brazil, the USA, and India. This enables advancing the work on HPC applications in domains of common interest, including facilitating researchers’ access to EuroHPC JU resources and co-development of HPC applications. The European HPC ecosystem will be further reinforced by enabling European stakeholders to develop novel algorithms, implement them in state-of-the-art codes and architectures, and test the applications and codes in academic and industrial cases to benefit Europe and like-minded third countries.