News
Applications for the 6th Advanced Computing Project Call are now open
September 10, 2025
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) , through its digital services unit FCCN, begins, from September 10th , the 6th edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call , making applications available for all access types: A0 – Experimental Access , A1 – Development Access , A2 – Regular Access and A3 – Larger Access .
Contact for clarification: advanced-computing@fccn.pt
Call for contributions to the European transition to post-quantum cryptography
September 10, 2025
The European Commission has published a recommendation on a coordinated implementation roadmap for the transition to post-quantum cryptography. This document includes a set of measures that Member States must implement for a synchronized transition, as well as guidelines to ensure that all parties are informed regarding the quantum threat to cryptography.
Participating in this consultation is a direct and essential contribution to shaping Europe's digital policies. Each suggestion can influence how we protect data, services, and infrastructure in the future.
Contributions accepted until September 29th (5pm, Lisbon time)Contact for clarification: cncs@cncs.gov.pt
Jupiter: Europe's largest supercomputer inaugurated in Germany
September 8, 2025
Europe's first supercomputer to reach the Exascale class, the Jupiter, was inaugurated on September 5th, in a ceremony held in Julich, Germany.
Capable of performing over 1 quintillion operations per second, the resource sets a new benchmark for computing power on the European continent. According to the June 2025 TOP500 list, the global benchmark for supercomputer rankings, Jupiter already ranks fourth globally and first in Europe.
Call for contributions to the National Strategy for Emerging Technologies
August 12, 2025
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), the National Innovation Agency (ANI) and the Center for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies (PLANAPP), invite the submission of Contributions for the elaboration of the National Strategy for Emerging Technologies, with the objective of guiding investment and innovation in Portugal in the coming decades.
Experts, researchers, and professionals with an interest in Biotechnology, Advanced Materials, or Quantum Technologies are invited to join this collaborative effort and contribute to defining the strategic priorities that will guide the future of technological innovation in Portugal.
This construction process aims to be open, collaborative, and actively involve relevant stakeholders in the debate on the role of emerging technologies in the country's scientific, economic, and social development.
Interested parties have at their disposal, until October 31, 2025, the expression of interest form.
Invitation to experts to evaluate Advanced Computing Projects
July 23, 2025
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through its digital services unit FCCN, invites national and international experts to collaborate as evaluators and/or experts in national initiatives for access to computing resources. The first phase for expression of interest is open until October 15, 2025.
This expression of interest aims to strengthen the database of qualified, multidisciplinary evaluators with experience in scientific evaluation for the Advanced Computing Project Calls (CPCA), ensuring a rigorous, transparent, and impartial process. Additionally, experts are sought for other FCT initiatives, such as AI Factories, which will require specialized user support.
The collaboration of selected experts will be punctual, upon invitation, and will include adequate compensation for their time and technical contribution.
The invitation is open to specialists from all scientific and computational fields.
5th Advanced Computing Meeting goes to Aveiro in October
July 17, 2025
THE 5th edition of the Advanced Computing Meeting already has a date and place. It is on the days October 22nd and 23rd that the community of this area meets in Aveiro, in the building of the Rectory of University of Aveiro.
This is an initiative organized by FCCN, digital services of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), which brings together users, researchers, technicians and decision-makers with the aim of promote collaboration and skills development in the field of Advanced Computing, with greater emphasis on the access to national and European resources, the newly created Artificial Intelligence Factories (AI) and news from Quantum Computing.
Lisbon hosted the 2025 edition of the International HPC Summer School
July 15, 2025
More than 120 participants from around the world gathered in Lisbon for the 2025 edition of the International HPC Summer School (IHPCSS) – an intensive training initiative in high-performance computing, with the support of FCCN, FCT's digital services, as host entity.
Between the days July 6th and 11th, Lisbon was the stage for the International HPC Summer School 2025, one of the most prestigious international advanced training programs in the areas of high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence, Big Data and scientific visualization.
EuroHPC User Days 2025 in Copenhagen, September 30 - October 1
July 1, 2025
The third edition of the EuroHPC User Days will take place in Copenhagen (Denmark), from 30 September to 1 October 2025.
The event is organized by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, EuroCC Denmark and the Danish e-infrastructure Consortium (DeiC).
Participants will be able to present projects that have used European supercomputing resources through calls EuroHPC, share best practices in the development of these projects, collect feedback from EuroHPC users and interact with potential new users.
The event will provide supercomputing users in Europe with the opportunity to explore various topics and gain deeper understanding of the opportunities offered by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, as well as the support available to users.
EuroCC2: Digital Twins of Society Webinar: HPC-Powered Simulations
June 30, 2025
Webinar explores AI models to simulate social dynamics and national resilience
On the day July 17, 2025, at 9 am (Lisbon time), the webinar will take place “Simulating Societies: Multi-Agent AI Models of Social Movements, Belief Dynamics, and National Resilience”, organized by NCC Slovakia, within the framework of the EuroCC project, in cooperation with the NCCs of Norway and Portugal.
Participation is free, and the agenda will bring together experts Prof. Dr. LeRon Shults and Dr. Justin Lane to discuss how artificial intelligence and multi-agent simulations are being used to model the evolution of social movements, beliefs, and societal resilience. Real-world case studies of applications in pandemic response strategies, crisis forecasting, and other scenarios will be presented.
The webinar will be in English and will also highlight how HPC infrastructure can support these initiatives.
EuroCC2: Collaboration between NCC Slovakia and NCC Portugal
June 25, 2025
On June 24, the Portuguese NCC received the representative of the Slovak NCC, Božidara Pellegrini.
The visit was an opportunity to deepen collaboration between the two centers within the context of the EuroCC 2 project and explore common challenges and strategic priorities. The conversation focused on sharing internal practices, identifying areas for joint activities, and strengthening cooperation.
QUANTUMvLAB Webinar
June 20, 2025
It took place last day June 18th the webinar presentation of QUANTUMvLAB, the new virtual laboratory promoted by FCCN – FCT Digital Services, dedicated to experimentation and training in quantum computing.
The event was attended by 37 people, including researchers, faculty, students, and professionals in the fields of digital science and technology. During the session, the new laboratory's features, objectives, and opportunities for those seeking to take their first steps—or deepen their knowledge—in this emerging field were presented.
FCT will be present at the International Supercomputing Conference 2025
June 16, 2025
FCCN's Advanced Computing, FCT's digital services, was present, between June 10th and 12th, at the International Supercomputing Conference 2025 (ISC2025), in Hamburg, Germany.
This participation strengthened the publicity of the Deucalion and MareNostrum 5 supercomputers and several ongoing initiatives, such as the EuroCC project and the BSC AI Factory, and allowed us to explore new frontiers and challenges in high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.
UT Austin Portugal launches online training in Advanced Computing
June 11, 2025
The UT Austin Portugal Program has announced three new online training courses in Advanced Computing, running from June 30 to July 15, 2025. The courses cover topics such as scientific machine learning, automation with LLMs, and systems modeling with SysML2. Aimed at researchers and professionals affiliated with Portuguese institutions, the courses will be taught by UT Austin experts and will include a certificate of participation.
FFplus Open Call 2: Business Experiments
June 10, 2025
In the second Fortissimo Plus call, European SMEs are challenged to innovate with supercomputing – Applications are open until August. The European project FFplus is accepting applications for its new Open Call to Business Experiments, with a deadline of up to August 26, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. (Brussels time). The initiative is aimed at small and medium-sized companies interested in exploring high-performance computing (HPC)-based solutions for specific business challenges.
Short-Term Research Internships at the University of Texas
June 10, 2025
Teachers, researchers and Master's or PhD students, linked to higher education institutions, R&D centers or companies with R&D in Portugal, who are interested, may apply for 3-6 month research internships at the University of Texas at Austin – United States, in several areas, namely in Advanced Computing.
InovIA – Vouchers for Innovation – officially released June 6th
June 9, 2025
The program InovIA – Vouchers for Innovation was officially launched last day June 6th, at AIHub Alvalade, in Lisbon.
One of the central moments of the event was the panel of testimonies moderated by ANI – National Innovation Agency, which included the participation of three companies already benefiting from the program: VirtuaCrop, blueOASIS and FastCompChem.
The interventions provided first-hand insight into how different areas — from precision agriculture to maritime sustainability and the discovery of new drugs — are use the computing resources of the Deucalion supercomputer to transform data into concrete solutions.
90 Seconds of Science
May 23, 2025
In this episode of “90 Seconds of Science” from Antena 1, we can hear about one of the projects that counts on the help of the Virtual Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence – AIvLAB – from the FCT Advanced Computing Services.
The "Handwritten Text Recognition" project, led by a group of researchers from the University of Évora and led by Professor António Anjos, is using artificial intelligence to help transcribe old documents.
InovIA Presentation Session – June 6
@ AI Hub Alvalade – 2pm
May 22, 2025
The presentation session for this program will take place on June 6th, at 2:00 pm, at AIHub – Alvalade, in Lisbon. Participation is free, subject to prior registration, and registrations still available.
The Advanced Computing Services of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through its digital services unit FCCN, launched the program InovIA – Vouchers for Innovation, designed to democratize access to supercomputing and artificial intelligence. Startups and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) will be able to apply for free use of advanced computing resources for the development of their innovation projects.
FCT's advanced computing services allow researchers to challenge classical laws of statistical physics
May 21, 2025
The researchers Luis Oliveira e Silva, Thales Silva and Pablo Bilbao (PhD student) at the Institute of Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion, a research unit of the Instituto Superior Técnico, discovered previously unknown properties in plasmas, which travel at nearly the speed of light when exposed to ultra-intense magnetic fields. The discovery, published in the scientific journal Science Advances, could help explain the origin of radio emissions observed from neutron stars.
For this discovery, which defies the classical laws of statistical physics, researchers turned to advanced computing services made available to the scientific community by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through its digital services unit, FCCN.
Webinar: Presentation of QUANTUMvLAB
May 19, 2025
FCT, through CNCA, launches the new QuantumvLAB, a virtual laboratory dedicated to quantum computing, supported by the Qulacs simulator installed on the ARM partition of the Deucalion supercomputer.
On the day June 18th, at 11:30 amJoin us for this webinar, where we'll introduce QuantumvLAB's features, explain how researchers and faculty can access up to 1,024 ARM nodes for testing and training, and discuss collaboration opportunities with the national and European quantum community. Join us and explore the potential of quantum computing on Deucalion.
IRegistration is now open for Science 2025
May 19, 2025
Registration is now open for Ciência 2025, which will take place from July 9th to 11th at the NOVA SBE Campus in Carcavelos. To register, visit this link. page.
“Science, Innovation and Society” will be the motto of Ciência 2025, an event that has steadily established itself as the largest science and technology gathering in Portugal. The initiative aims to promote and discuss the scientific, social, cultural, and economic impact of national research, exploring the intersection of science, innovation, and society to inspire new ideas and foster transformative collaborations.
FCT will be present at the launch event of the European AI Factories project
May 16, 2025
On May 12th and 13th, the kickoff meeting for the Barcelona Supercomputing Center's AI Factory (BSC AI Factory) took place at the initiative's coordinating entity's headquarters, with the project's associated partners from Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and Romania. This project is part of a EuroHPC JU initiative, AI Factories, which aims to boost the development of Artificial Intelligence solutions in the business and public ecosystem.
QUANTUMvLAB, the FCT's virtual quantum computing laboratory
April 29, 2025
QANTUMvLAB results from the recent installation of a quantum simulator on the ARM partition of the Deucalion supercomputer, based on the Qulacs tool and the result of collaboration between CNCA, INESC TEC, Fujitsu, INL and IST.
This new virtual laboratory joins the HPCvLAB and to the AIvLAB, offering up to 1,024 ARM nodes for temporary testing until the end of 2025, with the aim of supporting training, promoting experimental testing and strengthening the national quantum computing community in conjunction with the EuroHPC network.
FCT launches the InovIA program – Vouchers for Innovation
April 28, 2025
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) launches the program InovIA – Vouchers for Innovation, a new advanced computing program that aims to democratize access to next-generation supercomputers, such as Deucalion and MareNostrum 5, by Startups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Have you ever used advanced computing resources? Share your story!
April 22, 2025
We invite all users and partners to share their experiences with advanced computing resources, testimonials page available online. This aims to be a record where the voice of the user community is heard, highlighting the projects and paths that have benefited from advanced computing resources in Portugal.
If you've already used Advanced Computing services and accessed resources like Deucalion and other national systems, leave your testimonial and help inspire new users.
International HPC Summer School in Lisbon – Schedule available
April 14, 2025
FCT, through the FCCN digital services unit, supports the organization of International HPC Summer School 2025, which will take place in Lisbon, from July 6 to 11, 2025, bringing together participants from all over the world.
All information about the International HPC Summer School 2025 are available on the organization's website.
EuroHPC User Days 2025
March 28, 2025
The event EuroHPC User Days this year will take place in Copenhagen, September 30th and October 1st, bringing together experts and users to share knowledge and innovation.
Presentation proposals can be submitted until April 15, 2025, through the dedicated platform, where models for submitting articles are also available.
Deucalion at EuroHPC Summit 2025
March 25, 2025
Last week, the team that manages Deucalion held a demo focused on the advanced capabilities of the Portuguese supercomputer, through two presentations at the EuroHPC Summit, in Krakow, Poland.
The first demo highlighted the application of Large-Scale Language Models (LLMs) for analysis and prediction tasks, specifically using models Deepseek and Llama3.
The second demo focused on a model of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation.
These demos in the EuroHPC Summit, the annual EuroHPC event, which brings together the main European players in the field of High Performance Computing (HPC), reinforce the Deucalion's versatility and its key role in fostering innovation in the European advanced computing ecosystem.
FCCN 2025 Conference Program Now Available
March 21, 2025
It is now possible to discover the main highlights that will mark the 16th edition of this meeting of the academic and research community, which in 2025 has the close support of University of Coimbra and the Coimbra City Council.
From May 6th to 8th, technological innovations related to Connectivity, Collaboration, Computing, Security and Knowledge will be presented.
Artificial intelligence, Web Accessibility and Data Protection are some of the highlighted topics, among many others.
EGI2025 – The Reference Conference on Data Science
March 20, 2025
THE EGI annual conference is a prominent European event, bringing together international scientific communities, computing service providers, security experts, and policymakers. The event provides a unique space for knowledge sharing, fostering collaboration and discussion on the latest innovations in data computing, artificial intelligence, and open science.
The 2025 edition will take place at the Palacio de la Magdalena, in Santander, Spain, from June 2 to 6, 2025. The event will be organized by Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and by Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP), in collaboration with the EGI Foundation.
The registration period is also now open, with the Early Bird registration period currently underway – until May 2, 2025.
EuroCC@Greece Training Series
March 18, 2025
EuroCC@Greece has launched a series of training courses in High Performance Computing (HPC), aimed at researchers, professionals and students interested in improving their skills in this area.
Courses offered include: HPC for Beginners (Basic Concepts, MPI and OpenMP; introduction to parallel computing technologies to improve code performance); Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and OpenFOAM, using HPC and Computational Chemistry, among others.
The courses are offered online and include teaching materials and session recordings, available on the official EuroCC@Greece website.
Advanced HPC Course Deepens Job Management and Submission
February 21, 2025
The EuroCC2 project offers an advanced HPC course, aimed at users with basic knowledge in submitting jobs in clusters of computing.
The two-hour training will take place on April 9th, starting at 10am and will explore advanced techniques, including specific resource requests for jobs in CPU and GPU, monitoring and debugging, use of virtual environments for submission of jobs and good data management and storage practices.
This course is ideal for those who want to optimize the use of HPC infrastructures and maximize the efficiency of their projects.
Introductory Course Teaches First Steps in Using HPC Clusters
February 20, 2025
Registration is now open for the introductory HPC course, promoted by EuroCC2 and aimed at users with no prior experience using advanced computing clusters. The training will take place on April 8th (9:00 AM - 11:00 AM) and will cover essential concepts, including submission of jobs simple on CPU and GPU, file transfer, execution of jobs MPI on multiple nodes and the use of udocker to work in HPC environments.
Participants will also learn how to use pre-installed software on clusters. This is an opportunity to gain practical knowledge and take their first steps in high-performance computing.
New phase of HPC and Artificial Intelligence Virtual Laboratories
February 18, 2025
Following the success of the pilot phase in 2024, the virtual advanced computing and artificial intelligence (AI) laboratories, HPCvLAB and AIvLAB, promoted by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through its Digital Services unit, FCCN, are now moving into a new phase of operation, significantly expanding their resources, and now featuring Deucalion.
Those interested in HPCvLAB should contact participating competence centers, according to their geographic location, and request free access to HPC resources, being able to count on the necessary support to learn how to use and take advantage of these same resources.
For those interested in AIvLAB, it is available to fill out a form to express interest in this type of access.
Minister of Youth and Modernization visits Deucalion supercomputer
February 10, 2025
On February 7, the Minister of Youth and Modernization, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, visited the facilities of the Portuguese supercomputer Deucalion in Guimarães. The visit was part of the government's strategy for the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Portugal and follows the public consultation on the national AI agenda, currently underway. ongoing on the Participa.pt platform.
During the visit, the Minister met with the team operating this advanced computing infrastructure, managed by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) with the support of the University of Minho (UMinho). They discussed the challenges and opportunities for leveraging Deucalion as an essential resource for AI and digital modernization projects, contributing to innovation and the development of data-driven public policies.
Hackathon EPICURE HPC on ARM Architecture brought together researchers for practical learning
February 10, 2025
From February 4th to 7th, 2025, the EPICURE successfully organized the HPC Hackathon on ARM Architecture in the hub of INESC TEC at the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal. For four days, researchers, programmers, and HPC enthusiasts gathered to explore the potential of ARM-based computing.
With a strong focus on hands-on experience, the hackathon provided participants with expert-led sessions on code portability and optimization for ARM processors. Participants worked directly with the ARM partition of the EuroHPC Deucalion supercomputer, allowing them to test their applications on state-of-the-art hardware.
FCCN 2025 Conferences are now open for registration
February 7, 2025
The FCCN Days are the central event and annual meeting point for the various communities of managers and users of advanced computing, communication and other digital services platforms intended for the higher education and research community.
Register and secure your place in the 2025 edition of FCCN Conferences, which take place between May 6th and 8th, at the Convent of São Francisco, in Coimbra. Promoted annually by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through its digital services unit FCCN. This edition of the meeting has the close support of University of Coimbra and the Coimbra City Council.
Sessions dedicated to Advanced Computing Services will take place on May 7th and 8th.
Invitation to Express Interest in Joining the National Center for Advanced Computing (CNCA)
February 4, 2025
THE Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) invites entities interested in joining the CNCA in this start-up phase, to express their interest by the end of February 2025, by sending an email to: cnca-questoes@incd.pt.
Desirably, in addition to the identification of the entity, the desired annual quota level should be indicated, in accordance with the statutes.
This deadline does not close future memberships, only aims to organize the process for the initial group of participating entities, which is intended to be as broad as possible. All information about the presentation session can be found at the links below.
New Application Phase Open for the 5th Advanced Computing Project Call for Access A2 and A3
January 16, 2025
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) has opened new applications for the 5th Advanced Computing Projects Call, aimed at access levels A2 and A3. Applicants must submit their applications between January 16th and March 11th.
This second phase of A2 and A3 applications in the Advanced Computing Projects Calll features a new feature : a single form for submitting proposals for projects of these types, either through the fast-track or full-track , simplifying the process for applicants. Each applicant may submit one application for each type.
We encourage all interested parties to attend the 3rd Information Session (online) scheduled for January 23rd at 12:00 p.m. Registration is free and required.
National Center for Advanced Computing Announced
January 9, 2025
The INCD Association – National Infrastructure for Distributed Computing is now the CNCA Association – National Center for Advanced Computing.
The INCD has undergone significant developments and statutory changes, significantly expanding its scope of action. This development is in line with a request from the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) and reflects the institution's commitment to expanding and modernizing advanced computing initiatives, strengthening support for science, technology, and innovation in Portugal.
The association's structure is expected to expand soon, through the incorporation of new members, strengthening collaboration in the national advanced computing ecosystem, also boosting international collaboration in this area.
EPICURE HPC Hackathon on ARM Architecture
January 8, 2025
The EPICURE HPC Hackathon on ARM Architecture will focus on the use of HPC on CPUs with ARM architecture and will take place on INESC TEC hub at the University of Minho, in Braga, Portugal, from February 4 to 7, 2025.
The event will feature expert presentations on the use of the ARM architecture in the context of HPC, as well as hands-on sessions. The "Bring Your Code" hackathon format allows participants to bring code they use in their research and work, which they wish to optimize to run on ARM CPUs.
Participants will have access to the ARM partition of the EuroHPC Deucalion supercomputer.
He can register for this event individually or as part of a team with which you will work to develop your code.
EuroHPC JU launches call for proposals for the creation of a pan-European Master's programme in HPC
December 16, 2024
The European High Performance Computing Joint Unit has officially launched the DIGITAL-EUROHPC-JU-2024-MASTER-03 call and is seeking proposals for the creation of a pan-European Master of Science (MSc) program in High Performance Computing (HPC). This initiative is aligned with the European Union's Digital Decade 2030 goals and aims to meet the growing demand for qualified HPC professionals across Europe.
The program, which builds on the success of the pilot project EUMaster4HPC, will train more than 100 students annually in cutting-edge areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, HPC systems architecture, and computational modeling. The six-year project will offer a comprehensive and advanced curriculum tailored to industry needs, equipping students with the skills needed to drive Europe's digital transformation.
Portugal participates in Europe's Artificial Intelligence factories
December 11, 2024
The European High Performance Computing Joint Unit has announced the countries hosting the first European Artificial Intelligence (AI) factories, which will be installed over the next year in seven Member States, selecting proposals with national participation for funding.
Portuguese participation is led by the Foundation for Science and Technology, following the guidelines of the Portuguese government, through the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Youth and Modernization.
AI factories bring together national and European Union resources in a collaborative effort by 17 European countries.
NNew TOP500 list of the most powerful supercomputers
December 2, 2024
The latest update to the TOP500 list brought changes to the top of the world's most powerful supercomputers. The new leader is El Capitan, from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (USA), with 1,742 Exaflop/s, surpassing Frontier (2nd place, 1,353 Exaflop/s) and Aurora (3rd place, 1,012 Exaflop/s).
In Europe, MareNostrum 5, from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (5% funded by Portugal), reached 11th place. Deucalion, managed by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), occupies the 257th place in power and the 99th among the most sustainable, according to the Green500 ranking. Both are at the service of national and European scientific projects.
Other highlights include LUMI (Finland, 8th place) and Leonardo (Italy, 9th place), funded by the EuroHPC JU, which reinforces European leadership in supercomputing.
The complete list of the 500 fastest supercomputers is available online.
CCG/ZGDV promotes Webinar on High-Performance Computing
November 25, 2024
On December 6th, the CCG/ZGDV, in collaboration with the University of Coimbra, is organizing the webinar "Accelerating Innovation with High-Performance Computing." This online event will begin at 11:00 AM (Lisbon time) and is open to anyone interested in discovering how High-Performance Computing (HPC) can revolutionize industries and drive innovation.
Dialogue and collaboration at the 4th Advanced Computing Meeting
November 8, 2024
The National Meeting on Advanced Computing took place on November 5th and 6th at the University of Beira Interior (UBI), bringing together 62 participants, including researchers and experts, as well as representatives from national and international institutions. Supported by EuroCC, the event highlighted joint efforts in the development and evolution of national and European advanced computing and facilitated the exchange of knowledge among participants.
The program included two hands-on workshops: one on application submission and another dedicated to the Deucalion supercomputer, and several interactive sessions on the role of EuroCC Competence Centers (NCCs) in Portugal and the Netherlands. There were also presentations on early projects at MareNostrum 5, results from the HPC Virtual Laboratory, and the impact of the INCA2023 survey. The meeting had several highlights, highlighting the growing needs for HPC and AI in the country and reinforcing Portugal's commitment to excellence in advanced computing and digital innovation.
Report: National Advanced Computing Survey
November 7, 2024
The results of the National Survey on Advanced Computing, conducted in 2023, highlight the main resource needs in scientific computing identified by institutions and researchers in Portugal. This survey, conducted to assess the country's demands in terms of processing, storage, and technical support capabilities, revealed a growing demand for robust infrastructures that can keep pace with the evolution of scientific and technological research.
The data collected will be essential for defining the strategies and solutions to be adopted in the expansion and optimization of national advanced computing resources, as a way to support innovation and scientific development.
Advanced Computing Meeting: Margarida Prozil's experience
October 5, 2024
IBERGRID, a conference celebrating Iberian cooperation in scientific computing, in its 2024 edition brought together experts in Porto who met to explore new advances in scientific computing and topics such as innovations in distributed computing infrastructure, digital twins, open science, application development for the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), and the impact of AI in areas such as health and environmental modeling, among others.
The 13th edition of the event took place at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, from October 28 to 30 and brought together researchers, engineers and professionals from Portugal and Spain.
Advanced Computing Meeting: Margarida Prozil's experience
October 29, 2024
In 2023, Margarida Prozil, Head of Data at Data CoLAB, participated for the first time in the National Meeting on Advanced Computing, event that brings together researchers, technicians and decision-makers to promote collaboration and development in the field of Advanced Computing.
In order to share his experience in this initiative, he answered some questions about his participation, also revealing expectations for the 4th Meeting, which takes place from November 5th to 6th, at the University of Beira Interior.
New Advanced Computing Service email
October 24, 2024
From now on, all communications and support requests should be sent to the new address: advanced-computing@fccn.pt.
This change aims to optimize service and ensure more efficient communication with users. The Advanced Computing service requests that users update this new contact information in their records to avoid any interruptions in communication.
“The importance of the Advanced Computing Meeting is unquestionable”
October 9, 2024
A little less than a month before the 4th Advanced Computing Meeting, which will take place between November 5th and 6th, at the University of Beira Interior, Irina Moreira, professor and researcher at Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology from the University of Coimbra, shared his testimony about the 2023 edition, the first one he participated in.
The future edition of the Meeting is organized by FCCN, digital services of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), in collaboration with the University of Beira Interior.
EPICURE GPU Hackathon
October 1, 2024
The EPICURE GPU Hackathon, the first organized by EPICURE, will focus on GPU programming and will take place at CINECA in Bologna, Italy, October 28-31, 2024.
This event will include presentations from GPU computing experts, hands-on sessions, and on the last day, there will be a “Bring Your Own Code", where participants can bring the code they've been working on and receive assistance from GPU programming experts. Preferably, registration should be in pairs, that is, in teams of two (individual registration is also possible) to work in pairs during the practical sessions, in the session Bring Your Own Code and to participate in other challenges.
During the event, attendees will have access to the Leonardo Booster cluster to test code on next-generation NVIDIA GPUs.
2nd AIvLAB Training – Introduction to Vision
September 27, 2024
The second online training session, "Introduction to the VISION Artificial Intelligence Cluster," will take place on October 4th at 11:30 a.m. This training session follows the launch of AIvLAB, an innovative virtual laboratory that promotes experimentation in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
In this second training session, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about VISION, exploring its organization, access methods, and how to use it to solve AI challenges. The session will also introduce the job submission process and provide practical examples of how to make the most of this infrastructure.
Registration is open! Don't miss this opportunity to discover how VISION's advanced infrastructure can boost your AI projects. For more information and to register, visit event pageCome explore the possibilities offered by AIvLAB and maximize your projects with the power of VISION!
Covilhã hosts the 4th Advanced Computing meeting in November – Registration open!
September 23, 2024
Registration is now open for the 4th Advanced Computing Meeting, which will take place between November 5th and 6th of 2024, at the University of Beira Interior (UBI), in Covilhã.
The event, organized by FCCN, the digital services of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), brings together researchers, technicians and decision-makers with the aim of promoting collaboration and the development of skills in the area of advanced computing.
The meeting aims to discuss current topics such as infrastructure and resources available to Portuguese researchers, artificial intelligence, and the challenges of the digital transition in academia and business. It also aims to share the latest updates on the network and developments in the national and European HPC ecosystem, providing a meeting point for all those interested in Advanced Computing.
2nd Clarification Session: 5th edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call
September 20, 2024
To support candidates for the 5th CPCA, a second online clarification session on October 17th, at 12:00 pm.
This edition of CPCA provides access to three important high-performance computing platforms: the MareNostrum 5, one of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, and the Deucalion, a state-of-the-art Portuguese supercomputer, both funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and that allow greater scalability and performance in various areas of research and innovation. Researchers can also use HPC and Cloud services from INCD (National Distributed Computing Infrastructure), ideal for projects with flexible storage and computing needs.
NCC Portugal at the RES 2024 User Conference
September 20, 2024
The Portuguese National Competence Center (NCC) in high-performance computing (HPC) was present at the 18th RES User Conference, held in Malaga between September 18 and 19, 2024. This annual event, organized by the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES) in conjunction with EuroCC Spain, brought together users, technicians and HPC experts to discuss key topics in the European HPC ecosystem.
Representing NCC Portugal, Elana Araújo, Advanced Computing Science Process Manager at FCCN, joined colleagues from NCC Cyprus and NCC Spain. The discussions focused on finding more effective ways to engage industry, improving training, and exploring future collaborations between NCCs.
This year, the conference covered topics such as digital twins, artificial intelligence, RISC-V chip development, and advances in HPC algorithms and software. The event covered updates to the Spanish HPC network and access to HPC resources in Europe.
New EuroCC Podcast: Supercomputing in Europe
September 18, 2024
“Supercomputing in Europe" and the new podcast from the EuroCC project, where the topics revolve around various aspects related to supercomputing, including its applications, its importance in research and development, new emerging technologies, and the relationship between AI and supercomputing. Guests from across Europe discuss their work and provide interesting insights into the role of supercomputers in various fields, such as life sciences, Machine lLearning, engineering, data science, quantum computing, etc.
The first two episodes have already been released:
1st: EuroHPC Joint Initiative (EuroHPC JU) Executive Director Anders Dam Jensen discusses with Communications Specialist Apostolos Vasileiadis (ENCCS, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden) the EuroHPC JU and the current state of supercomputing in Europe and its future.
2nd: Marta García-Gasulla and Filippo Mantovani from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center talk to Sally Kiebdaj (Centre of Excellence in Exascale CFD (CEEC CoE), Stuttgart High Performance Computing Center) about the European Processor Initiative and the CEEC CoE.
Listen to the podcast and expand your knowledge of supercomputing!
EuroCC2: Success Stories 2024
September 13, 2024
As a contribution to the “EuroHPC National Competence Centres” project in its Phase 2 (EuroCC 2), a new compilation of success stories from European National Competence Centres has been published.
We invite you to learn about the latest success stories of the EuroCC2 Project.
5th edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call
September 6, 2024
FCCN, the digital services of the Foundation for Science and Technology, launches the 5th Advanced Computing Projects Call (CPCA) , which aims to provide computational resources to national scientific innovation projects, promoting research in areas of high impact and relevance.
In addition to the applications for access levels A0 and A1, which run until September 2025, this edition brings new features for access levels A2 and A3, with two application periods: the first until October 10, 2024, and a second phase in 2025. The first phase, exclusively through the "fast track," is intended for projects previously evaluated in previous calls. More details and criteria for the "fast track" and "full track" can be found in the call opening notice .
To support the candidates, a first online information session will be held on September 24th at 12:00 pm .
Thales Silva, a researcher at IST, was one of the first to use the MareNostrum 5
August 30, 2024
The MareNostrum 5, supercomputer in which Portugal, through the Foundation for Science and Technology, holds a 5% stake, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan, will enter in production phase.
Those interested in submitting expressions of interest to access the MN5 production phase must complete and submit the simplified form, available until September 9th.
At a time when this opportunity opens up to other projects, the researcher with 7 years of experience using high-performance computing, who has already used 10 different supercomputers in Europe, shares his testimony about MareNostrum 5 and says: "MareNostrum 5 will be at the top of my list in the coming years as the supercomputer I intend to use."
Researchers have the opportunity to enhance projects through Supercomputing
August 19, 2024
EuroHPC JU has opened a new application period for regular access to its state-of-the-art supercomputers. Deucalion is among the available resources.
Researchers from across Europe can apply to use computing resources to boost their research and innovation projects. This call is open to all fields of science, industry, and the public sector.
Anyone who wants to enhance their research using world-class computing power, must submit their proposals by September 6, 2024.
What is Supercomputing and why is it important?
August 9, 2024
Over the past few years, supercomputing, or high-performance computing (HPC), has been a strategic focus for the scientific and innovation ecosystem. Learn about this technology and its various applications.
The first supercomputer made available to the Portuguese scientific community was installed by FCCN, FCT's digital services, in 1988. Since then, over the past four decades, this area has undergone significant developments, becoming one of the European Commission's investment priorities in technology and innovation. The objective of this effort, which brings together public and private organizations, is “develop a world-class supercomputing ecosystem in Europe”, highlights the EuroHPC JU.
Training Sprint: Introduction to EESSI – European Environment for Scientific Software Installations
August 8, 2024
On the day October 4, 2024, within the framework of the EuroCC Project, the National HPC Competence Centers of Austria and Slovenia will organize a training sprint called “Introduction to EESSI – European Environment for Scientific Software Installations”, together with the MultiXscale CoE.
EESSI is a common scientific software platform for HPC systems and other infrastructures, providing instant access to the necessary software, optimized for the available architecture. This 2-hour online workshop will introduce the EESSI concept and design, as well as how to access and use it, including practical demonstrations.
Invitation to the Scientific and Technological Community: MareNostrum 5 Supercomputer: Access to the Production Phase
July 25, 2024
The Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC) announced the entry into production of its newest supercomputer, MareNostrum 5 (MN5), in which Portugal holds a 5% stake, funded by the EU's RRP in Portugal. This new milestone in European supercomputing comes after the completion of the physical and logical assembly of the platform's two largest partitions.
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) invites the national sectors of Science, Technology, Innovation and Public Administration to submit expressions of interest in accessing the production phase of MN5. Interested parties should complete and submit the expression of interest form, until September 9, 2024.
MPI for Python
July 23, 2024
The National Competence Centers for HPC in Austria and Portugal organize this training action, between September 9th and 11th, for the European HPC user community.
This three-and-a-half-day course teaches parallel programming with MPI (Message Passing Interface) for Python, starting at a beginner level. Hands-on sessions will allow you to immediately test and understand MPI models. The focus will be on using MPI routines with Python, with hands-on sessions on the Vienna cluster.
The course will be of great interest to the Portuguese HPC community, particularly Python users.
Accelerate and Parallelize MATLAB Code – September 5th
July 18, 2024
This event takes place on the day September 5th, between 9:00 am and 12:30 pm and is organized in collaboration with the University of Coimbra, integrating the activities of EuroCC2.
In this session the topic will be parallel, distributed and GPU computing in MATLAB to accelerate and distribute work.
Using the Parallel Computing capabilities in MATLAB allows users to take advantage of additional hardware resources that may be available, whether locally on their own machines or in clusters, clouds, and gridsBy using more hardware, you can reduce workflow cycle time and solve computationally intensive, data-intensive problems faster.
Call for IC&DT Projects – Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Cybersecurity relevant to Public Administration
July 15, 2024
Applications are now open for Call for IC&DT Projects – Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Cybersecurity relevant to Public Administration, promoted by FCT, within the scope of the Investment of PRR – C05-i08 – More Digital Science.
The call will support scientific research and technological development projects, at all stages, from exploratory activities to proof of concept, in thematic areas such as: Artificial Intelligence Governance, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, Digital Service Design and Interaction Design, from an interdisciplinary and user-centered perspective, Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Governance.
The submission of applications takes place until at 5:00 p.m. (Continental Portugal time) on July 31, 2024.
InfoDay AI-Friendly EuroHPC Systems
July 11, 2024
The EuroHPC JU will organize a three-hour virtual session at September 25th (8:30 Lisbon time), on Artificial Intelligence (AI)-friendly EuroHPC Systems.
The event will cover:
- How to use EuroHPC JU systems for AI applications;
- EuroHPC JU systems best practices for AI;
- How these systems will support different types of AI software and frameworks.
Registration is now open and can be completed online.
IBERGRID 2024 – Better Software for Better Science
July 10, 2024
THE 13th Iberian GRID Conference – IBERGRID 2024 will be held in Portugal, at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, between the days October 28th and 30th and registration is officially open.
THE IBERGRID 2024 will bring together computing experts and enthusiasts to discuss key topics in the development, integration, and adoption of services, applications, and digital twins that support cutting-edge research. This edition's topics include:
– Cooperation between Iberian Research Communities
– Research Applications in Advanced Digital Infrastructures
– Development of Innovative Software Services
– R&D for computing services, networks and data-driven science
– Quality of software, services and data
– Digital twins design
– Promoting the adoption of Open Science
– Development, implementation and operation of Data Spaces
– Datacenter and digital infrastructure development and status reporting
Submission of communication proposals is open until September 30th.
Webinar: Scientific Visualization at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility
July 4, 2024
THE EPICURE project debuts in webinars with a session led by Silvio Rizzi, Joseph Insley and Victor Mateevitsi, from the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility.
The online session aims to explore the history of scientific visualization in ALCF, highlighting successful collaborations with scientific teams and showcasing some of the exemplary scientific challenges faced, as well as demonstrating the effort put into modernizing visualization tools to harness the power of exascale computing, enabling groundbreaking insights and discoveries.
Date: July 10th | Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Lisbon time)
Portuguese company among four winners of the “Large AI Grand Challenge prizes to innovative European AI startups and SMEs”
July 1, 2024
The Portuguese startup Unbabel was one of the 4 winners of the challenge, Large AI Grand Challenge awards to innovative European AI startups and SMEs, EuroHPC JU initiative with the approval of the European Commission, which received a total of 94 applications.
The challenge, launched on November 23, 2023, was created to reward innovative startups and SMEs for developing ambitious strategies and making commitments to develop large-scale AI models that will provide a competitive advantage for Europe.
The 4 winning startups will each receive €250,000 and 2 million GPU hours to use for 12 months on one of the largest European supercomputers, LUMI or LEONARDO.
RES Annual HPC Conference to Take Place in Malaga
June 26, 2024
The Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES) organizes the Annual RES HPC User Conference to provide updates on RES developments and share relevant information about access to its resources and the European HPC ecosystem. This event is the main meeting point for the user and support community.
This year's conference will take place in Malaga, during two days, September 18 and 19, 2024. In this edition, the conference will be structured into thematic panels that will address the most prominent topics in the Spanish HPC ecosystem:
- Digital twins: models, algorithms and computation
- Large Language Models (LLM) and Artificial Intelligence
- Chips: RISC-V-based CPU development
- Software and algorithms in HPC
FFplus Calls for Support in HPC Experimentation in Business and Innovation Studies
June 21, 2024
European SMEs and startups now have another opportunity to expand their innovation potential through two calls:
Business experimentation: approach to HPC adoption by SMEs to solve specific business challenges that have not previously used or experienced HPC services. Expected duration: maximum 15 months, starting on January 1, 2025. The total indicative budget for all subprojects funded under this call is €4M.
Innovation studies through generative AI: support for European SMEs and startups already active in the field of generative AI technology, but which do not have the necessary computing resources to expand.
Expected duration: maximum of 10 months, scheduled to start on December 1, 2024.
The total indicative budget for all subprojects funded under this call is €4M.
THE deadline for submitting applications is September 4, 2024 at 5:00 PM Brussels local time.
Collaboration between Croatian and Portuguese Advanced Computing Centers
June 21, 2024
On June 20, 2024, the Advanced Computing team at FCCN Digital Services of FCT, received a visit from Zagreb University Computing Center (SRCE), a Croatian institution with a long tradition in information and communication technologies. The meeting, which also included the presence of the Information Systems team from the University of Lisbon, marks the collaboration between the advanced computing teams of Portugal and Croatia both are linked to European projects such as EuroCC and EuroHPC JU, as well as the common mission of promoting the implementation and use of information technologies in the academic communities of both countries.
The visit aimed to strengthen cooperation, exchange knowledge and develop joint projects that promote innovation and development in the field of advanced computing.
Introduction to the VISION Artificial Intelligence Cluster – Training Online June 20th
June 11, 2024
The High Performance Computing Centre of the University of Évora and the BigData@UÉ Laboratory invite you to the training: “Introduction to the VISION Artificial Intelligence Cluster”, which will be held online on June 20, 2024, of the 11:00 to 12:30 (Lisbon time).
This course marks the launch of the Virtual Artificial Intelligence Laboratory – AIvLAB, a partnership with the Foundation for Science and Technology and the EuroCC2 Project. AIvLAB aims to promote access to AI technologies through the Vision platform for the AI and Big Data community.
Registration is open!
For more information, program and registration click the button below.
Webinar, June 14 – Improving the Energy Efficiency of Parallel Applications with MERIC
June 5, 2024
On the day June 14th, of the 12:30 p.m. to the 1:30 p.m. a webinar dedicated to computing energy efficiency solutions will be held (spoken in English).
The webinar is free, and registration is mandatory.
Summary: Complex parallel applications present varying hardware requirements during execution. This dynamic behavior can be leveraged to save energy by adjusting hardware power to the application's needs.
The open source MERIC runtime system is designed to minimize the power consumption of HPC infrastructure.
MERIC and associated tools perform detailed analysis of the behavior of complex applications, identify optimal hardware configurations with respect to power consumption and execution time, and provide dynamic tuning during application runtime.
Expression of Interest for access to the pre-production phase of the new MareNostrum 5 supercomputer
May 31, 2024
The FCT invites potential interested parties from the national Science, Technology, Innovation and Public Administration sectors to submit expressions of interest in accessing the pre-production phase of the new MareNostrum 5 supercomputer, whose work will be expected to last 3 months, starting in June/July 2024.
MareNostrum 5 (MN5) is a new European supercomputing platform installed in Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), in which Portugal has a 5% stake, with the physical and logical assembly of the two largest computing partitions having recently been completed.
Interested parties must complete and submit the simplified form until June 27, 2024.
The role of supercomputers in the digital transition and the competitiveness of organizations and companies
May 17, 2024
The Open Knowledge Day, organized by IAPMEI, FCT and the University of Minho, aims to inform and raise awareness among the business community, especially SMEs, about the potential of supercomputers in the green and digital transition, and also about the mechanisms of this technology.
The meeting, which takes place on May 22, starting at 2:00 pm, at the University of Minho, also intends to discuss the development of artificial intelligence models compatible with the European strategy for promoting competitiveness, materialized in the launch, in a more effective and accelerated way, of more innovative and technologically sophisticated products.
EuroHPC JU Survey - Harnessing the full potential of High Performance Computing
May 7, 2024
A response is available until May 31st. questionnaire to assess the efficiency of using High Performance Computing (HPC) resources available in Europe.
This analysis aims to characterize the current state of HPC in Europe from the three perspectives of developers, HPC suppliers and users, comparing it with other regions of the world, and identifying mechanisms to engage and attract more customers and end users to EuroHPC's public HPC resources.
This study also aims to help understand how technical, legal, financial, commercial, and socioeconomic factors influence the decisions of stakeholders and potential end users of HPC in the EU. The study is titled “Study on HPC academic, SME/industrial, commercial end-user requirements in the European Union” and is led by blueOASIS and the IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center on behalf of EuroHPC JU.
Event: Simulating the Future – Workshop on Computational Simulation using Ansys
May 7, 2024
The next day June 4th, at 3 pm, the event will take place online “Simulating the Future – Workshop on Computational Simulation using Ansys”.
This short event will provide an introduction to computational fluid dynamics and its applications. Attendees will have the opportunity to watch a demonstration of Ansys software in an HPC environment.
THE full program is now available as well as the online registration.
Portuguese NCC present in “All Hands Meeting” of the EuroCC 2 & CoEs & CASTIEL 2 Project
April 26, 2024
It was in Slovakia, more precisely in the High Tatra Mountains (Vysoké Tatry), that the Intermediate Conference “All Hands Meeting” of the EuroCC2, CoEs & CASTIEL 2 project took place, marking an important moment for the 33 National Centers of Competence (NCCs) and European Centers of Excellence (CoEs) involved. The Portuguese NCC played an active role in the event, which took place from April 22-24, 2024.
These meetings are strategically crucial for the successful advancement of the EuroCC2 Project and the collaborations that strengthen Europe's high-performance computing infrastructure, promoting excellence and innovation in this area and reinforcing our commitment to leading initiatives that drive technological and scientific development in Europe.
RNCA @ Tecnico Labs 4 HPC & AI
April 24, 2024
On April 22, RNCA was present at the Tecnico Labs 4 HPC & AI event, an initiative promoted by ATTRACT European Digital Innovation Hub.
The objective of this participation was to publicize the resources and opportunities in advanced computing and artificial intelligence available for national research, highlighting the RNCA as an important partner in accelerating digital innovation.
The event served as a platform to promote the digital transition and strategic collaborations to explore opportunities for applying new technologies such as HPC and AI in various sectors.
Portuguese researcher selected as expert for European advisory group on supercomputing
April 12, 2024
André Martins, Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico and researcher in the field of artificial intelligence, will serve as a member of the RIAG (Research and Innovation Advisory Group) of the EuroHPC Partnership.
The decision to appoint the RIAG members for two-year terms was taken on February 29th by the Partnership's Board of Directors, in which the FCT represents Portugal as a Participating State. The twelve members of the RIAG are selected based on scientific and technical merit, with André Martins being the FCT's nominated candidate.
The RNCA will be present at the FCCN 2024 Journeys, in Funchal
April 8, 2024
The largest annual meeting of the national Research and Higher Education community will take place in Funchal from April 15 to 17.
THE ARDITI – Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation is the local host organization for this edition of the meeting.
THE session dedicated to National Advanced Computing Network takes place on the day April 16th, by the 2:30 p.m., in the Lisbon Room from Pestana Casino Park.
We will also be present at the “Cloud Services and Networks” session, participating with a presentation on the Google Cloud AI Project Calls , on April 17th, at 11:15 am, also in the Lisbon Room .
Portuguese use cases highlighted on the last day of the EuroHPC Summit 2024
March 28, 2024
Organized by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), this year's Summit took place from March 18th to 21st and took place in the heart of Antwerp, at the Flanders Meeting and Convention Center, A Room With a Zoo.
THE EuroCC Portugal presented their Success Stories at the Workshop: Elevate and Collaborate: European HPC NCCs and CoEsDuring the session, some of the most impactful national projects were presented, exemplifying the transformative potential of high-performance computing across various sectors.
Since investigation of the complexities of the ocean until revolution in the footwear industry, passing through revealing the mysteries of the human brain and still remembering the combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the Portuguese National Competence Center demonstrated at this event how it has been at the forefront of promoting innovation and problem-solving through HPC.
EuroCC 2 organizes event on High Performance Computing for Social Sciences and Humanities
March 19, 2024
If you're a researcher in the social sciences or humanities and want to leverage computational tools to complement your work, join this enlightening event designed to demystify the world of high-performance computing (HPC) and explore its transformative potential for all scientific fields.
The event will take place on April 9th and 10th in a hybrid format. The initiative is organized by the EuroCC 2 project – the 32 EU-funded National Competence Centers for HPC.
Main Highlights:
Understanding HPC: Gain a fundamental understanding of High Performance Computing and its potential impact on research in the social sciences and humanities.
Use cases: Real-world examples of how HPC is being used to solve diverse research questions in areas such as political science, economics, demography, anthropology, history, sociology, linguistics, etc.
Practical guidance: Practical tips for integrating HPC into your research workflow, accessing computing resources, optimizing code, and collaborating with HPC experts.
Networking opportunities: Connect with other researchers, professionals, and HPC experts to exchange ideas, share experiences, and collaborate in valuable ways.
EuroCC2 in collaboration: NCC Portugal & NCC Norway meeting
March 8, 2024
While visiting Portugal, representatives of the Norwegian National Competence Center (NCC) paid a visit to Lisbon, thus promoting a collaborative meeting with the NCC Portugal. The place chosen for the meeting was the Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP), in Lisbon, serving as a favorable environment for the exchange of knowledge and experiences between the two centers.
Representatives from both countries exchanged and shared experiences in the field of high-performance computing (HPC) and its related fields. The discussions focused on presenting the latest advances in their respective national HPC infrastructures, as well as success stories.
NCC Portugal, committed to developing computing skills in Portugal, collaborated with the newly created NCC Norway, which is under the direction of Sigma2This joint effort provided a platform for exploring synergies, exchanging best practices, and strengthening collaborative ties. The ultimate goal was to increase the potential of HPC in both countries, fostering a collaborative environment that ensures sustained growth and development in this field.
Advanced Computing User Forum: A New Platform for Knowledge Sharing
February 26, 2024
The newly launched Advanced Computing Users Forum represents a knowledge-sharing platform and a new catalyst for scientific and technological progress, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence in the use of advanced computing.
With objectives ranging from serving as a communication channel between users, centers and the RNCA/FCT, to identifying improvements in RNCA processes, the Advanced Computing Users Forum aims to play a multifaceted role in promoting excellence in the use of advanced computing for scientific and technological purposes.
Additionally, it will serve as a welcome for new users, offering guidance and support in troubleshooting.
For those who wish to contact this forum, a online form is available, providing a direct channel of communication with the coordinators. This initiative aims to ensure that all questions, comments, and suggestions from the community are promptly addressed and considered.
ISC High Performance 2024. From May 12th to 16th, in Hamburg
February 15, 2024
The ISC High Performance 2024 conference is an annual global gathering for HPC technology vendors and users. Its goal is to foster the growth of a thriving community that now includes professionals in machine learning, data analytics, and quantum computing. The first ISC conference took place in 1986.
The ISC 2024 conference will take place in Hamburg, Germany, from May 12 to 16, bringing together more than 3,000 international participants to exchange ideas and knowledge on how to “Reinvent HPC”.
EuroHPC Summit 2024. March 18-21 in Antwerp
February 12, 2024
The 2024 EuroHPC Summit will bring together stakeholders and key players in the European supercomputing landscape. Both public and private entities will be present.
This will be a forum for sharing not only the latest technological developments, but also for defining synergies and expressing current and future needs in the field of European High Performance Computing (HPC).
This year's theme is: “To Exascale and Beyond – Unleashing the Power of European HPC and Quantum Computing” and this is an opportunity to participate in shaping the future of European supercomputing.
EPICURE: New project to improve support for users of EuroHPC supercomputers JU
February 9, 2024
The EuroHPC JU launched the EPICURE project to improve support for EuroHPC supercomputer users. The project aims to establish Support Teams (ASTs) at the operational centers of each supercomputer, offering help desk services, specialized training, and a centralized support portal . With a budget of €10 million and a 48-month duration, EPICURE aims to improve the accessibility and efficiency of support services for successful candidates in EuroHPC JU calls for supercomputing access.
Supercomputing at the service of sleep research
January 25, 2024
Sleep is crucial to human well-being, and research in this area is a globally significant discipline. A team from Aarhus University in Denmark used supercomputing to analyze international sleep data. Using the LUMI supercomputer, operated by the Finnish academic network, the researchers simulated neural networks using 20,000 Polysomnography (PSG) recordings to improve sleep scoring. LUMI enabled a more efficient approach to interpreting sleep stages, overcoming the limitations of traditional scoring models. The project demonstrated the importance of supercomputing in effectively handling large, globally dispersed data sets, highlighting its crucial role in sleep research.
In total, the project received 3,500 GPU hours on LUMI. If a single GPU had completed the work, it would have taken 145 days, longer than the entire four-month thesis period.
2nd Edition of the Computational Biosciences Course Using HPC Systems
January 12, 2024
The Applied Molecular Biosciences Research Unit (UCIBIO), in collaboration with the Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV) and the Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP), within the scope of EuroCC Project, will teach the 2nd Edition of the Computational Biosciences Course using HPC Systems – a practical course aimed at researchers interested in starting High Performance Computing (HPC) projects.
The course takes place from February 6th to 8th at the Faculty of Science and Technology of NOVA University of Lisbon.
EuroHPC JU: Applications for Support Center for European Users of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
December 21, 2023
Applications are now open for the creation of an AI Support Center (AISC) that will bring together and provide know-how specializes in advanced AI technologies and provides high-performance computing (HPC)-based services to developers and users of large-scale AI models. The goal is to help European AI communities improve their workflows by leveraging the most advanced HPC resources to develop complex models with significant impact across Europe, including foundational models for generative AI.
Applications for DIGITAL-EUROHPC-JU-2023-AISC-03 will be open until February 27, 2024, with the selected projects starting in September of the same year and lasting 36 months.
Inauguration of the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer
December 15, 2023
The next day December 21st, Barcelona will become the epicenter of technological innovation with the inauguration of the MareNostrum 5 Supercomputer (MN5), a powerhouse that will drive advanced computing across Europe.
The addition of MareNostrum 5, which will be housed at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, to the European supercomputer pool represents a significant step towards the next frontier of supercomputing, exascale, reinforcing Europe's role at the forefront of global technological innovation.
National research can take advantage of this resource, through opportunities such as 4th Advanced Computing Project CompetitionApproximately 5% of MN5 capacity will be available for allocation to Portuguese beneficiaries.
2nd Information Session on the 4th edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call
November 29, 2023
The application period for the Advanced Computing Projects Call is still open, across the various access types. See application information at https://rnca.fccn.pt/projetos/
The 2nd online information session about the call will take place on December 5, 2023 , at 12 pm , for all candidates and interested parties.
⬇️ Sign up now!
National Day of Scientific Culture
November 24, 2023
National Scientific Culture Day, organized by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), is an annual initiative that highlights the intersection between science and society. The event highlights the crucial role of scientific culture in socioeconomic development, emphasizing how innovation and scientific research are fundamental to addressing global challenges and driving progress.
Advanced computing was included in the panorama of National Scientific Culture Day, in the context of its growing importance in shaping the future of science and driving significant discoveries in fields ranging from artificial intelligence to the simulation of complex phenomena, illustrating the vital relevance of technology in shaping the contemporary scientific landscape.
Inauguration of the New INCD Operational Center at UTAD
November 11, 2023
During the RNCA 2023 Meeting, which took place on November 7th and 8th, 2023, in Vila Real, at UTAD, the new INCD equipment was inaugurated.
The INCD's computing and data infrastructure previously had operational centers in Lisbon and Coimbra. Now, it also has an Operational Center in Vila Real, supported by UTAD and FCT. The inauguration of the operational center was attended by representatives from UTAD, FCT, and INCD, and was followed by a visit to the UTAD data center where the equipment is housed.
RNCA Meeting 2023
November 10, 2023
The RNCA 2023 Meeting took place on November 7th and 8th, 2023, in Vila Real, at UTAD.
The event featured a wide range of presentations in plenary sessions, debates and roundtables, workshops, and networking sessions. The topics focused on user-focused advanced computing services and projects, the advantages and results of using High Performance Computing (HPC) in projects, and synergies for developing HPC skills.
The new computing platforms for 2023/2024, the RNCA, European Supercomputing and ways of accessing national and European supercomputers were also discussed.
To top it off, new INCD equipment was also inaugurated, the new operational center, which will be housed in the UTAD Data Center (Cirrus-D and Stratus-D).
EuroHPC User Day
November 2, 2023
EuroHPC User Day will take place on December 11, 2023, in Brussels, Belgium.
The event will bring together EuroHPC users and provide opportunities for them to attend parallel sessions, learn about different topics, and deepen their understanding of the possibilities offered by EuroHPC JU. Users will also be invited to present their projects and experiences, and EuroHPC will publish all submitted projects.
NuTTS 2023: Access to European Supercomputing: more than a tool, an opportunity.
October 20, 2023
RNCA was present at the 2023 edition of NuTTS – 25th Numerical Towing Tank Symposium, an event that aims to provide a forum for informal discussions among experts in the field to disseminate the latest research results related to ocean sustainability.
The RNCA presentation: Access to European Supercomputing: more than a tool, an opportunity intended to show the opportunities and responses to challenges that European supercomputers present and how supercomputing can be used to create a more sustainable future for the maritime sector as well.
MOOC “Supercomputing”: Learn all about the technology of the present and the future
October 18, 2023
The NAU MOOC on Supercomputing, created by EuroCC Portugal and supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology, aims to introduce anyone to the world of supercomputers, providing an understanding of how they are developed, how they work, the advantages of using them, and where they can be found in Portugal and Europe. And all this for the first time in Portuguese!
In addition to the training component, this NAU course will serve as an awareness-raising tool to demonstrate that supercomputing exists and is within everyone's reach.
4th Advanced Computing Project Call opens in October
October 2, 2023
The Advanced Computing Project Calls continue to provide free computing resources for R&D&I projects in all fields of knowledge. The 4th edition opens applications on October 26th, featuring more platforms and a new typology. Register for the online Information Session on October 26th at 12:00 PM to learn more.
Vila Real hosts 3rd RNCA meeting in November – Registration open!
October 2, 2023
The largest annual event of the National Network for Advanced Computing is approaching. On November 7th and 8th, the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto-Douro, in Vila Real, will host the third RNCA meeting, in an in-person 100% format. This meeting for users, technicians, and partners will share updates about the network, develop the national HPC ecosystem, and provide a meeting point for all those interested in Advanced Computing. The two-day event will focus on users and the future of the RNCA. See the provisional agenda on the event page.
RNCA at the 17th RES conference in Barcelona
September 25, 2023
The annual conference of the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES) took place on September 13th and 14th in Barcelona, at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC). As a partner of RES and the EuroCC project, the RNCA was represented by the FCCN Advanced Computing team and collaborators from INESC TEC/University of Minho.
Congratulations to BSC and RES for the excellent organization of the event and see you next year…in Malaga.
Deucalion inaugurated in the presence of the Prime Minister
September 11, 2023
The Deucalion supercomputer was inaugurated on September 6th at the UMinho School of Architecture, Art, and Design, on the Azurém campus in Guimarães. The ceremony began at 2:30 p.m. and was attended by Prime Minister António Costa, Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education Elvira Fortunato, President of the FCT, Madalena Alves, members of the EuroHPC JU initiative, and other guests. Today, Deucalion is the largest Portuguese supercomputer and the first in the EuroHPC initiative with ARM processors. Its operation will accelerate scientific discoveries, industrial innovation, and technological advancement across multiple sectors.
AI and HPC: EuroHPC JU promotes virtual event on September 26
September 11, 2023
The European Supercomputing Initiative EuroHPC JU is organizing a three-hour virtual event on HPC for Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Tuesday, September 26, starting at 8:30 a.m. (Lisbon time). The session will cover the following topics:
- use of AI applications on EuroHPC supercomputers
- possibilities of access to these supercomputers
- upcoming AI-related events, trainings, and invitations
- support possibilities from EuroCC national competence centers
- numerous success stories that utilized opportunities promoted by EuroHPC.
Open call for the development of innovative exascale algorithms
August 16, 2023
The Inno4scale program is accepting applications until September 28th. It has a total funding of over €4 million, and each approved project is expected to receive a maximum of €200,000. The most successful algorithms will subsequently be adopted by HPC users in academia, industry, and beyond.
Open AI at RNCA with Albertina PT
August 16, 2023
Discover the opinion of António Branco, Professor at the Faculty of Science of Lisbon and General Director of PORTULAN CLARIN Research Infrastructure for Language Science and Technology, on the Albertina PT-* project.
“This is just a first step towards the democratization of this technology, which is key to the future, and in the promotion of open generative AI, to which the RNCA, I am sure, will continue to make an invaluable contribution.“
António Branco, July 2023
Did you know that Small and Medium-sized Businesses are already using High Performance Computing?
August 16, 2023
The FF4EuroHPC project has published a booklet that brings together success stories relating to the use of advanced or high-performance computing technologies by companies.
A total of 16 examples of companies that have used or are using high-performance solutions are shared by the EuroHPC project as part of the FF4EuroHPC Success Stories booklet. This publication brings together use cases in fields as diverse as healthcare, management, physics, and artificial intelligence. The variety of companies represented is not limited to their field of activity, but also their country of origin—a total of eight countries represented—as well as their size.
3rd edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call closes with a record 140 approved projects
August 16, 2023
Interest in and use of advanced computing has grown across all areas of national scientific and technological knowledge with the creation of the Advanced Computing Projects Call, organized by the FCT, through its FCCN unit.
The 140 projects approved in the 3rd edition represent access to 50 national institutions, 40 million CPU core hours and 46 thousand GPU hours allocated, with the project value estimated at more than 500 thousand euros.
RNCA was present at the 174th European Study Group
with Industry in Felgueiras
July 21, 2023
The European Study Group with Industry event took place from July 3rd to 7th at the School of Management and Technology of the Polytechnic of Porto, Felgueiras. These meetings were created to renew and strengthen the links between Mathematics and Industry, bringing together several European experts. The RNCA participated in this event with a session presented by the General Coordinator of the FCT-FCCN, João Nuno Ferreira.
Expression of Interest: Deucalion Benchmarking
July 19, 2023
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) invites potential interested parties from the national Science, Technology, Innovation and Public Administration sectors to register their availability to work alongside technical support on benchmarking tests of the Deucalion supercomputer.
This opportunity is not intended for research work, but will allow selected users to contribute to the final phase of the installation of Deucalion, a technological resource of extreme importance to the scientific and technological community in Portugal.
Interested parties can register until September 29th.
First MOOC on Supercomputing in Portuguese PT
July 11, 2023
In the sixth episode of Nau Talks, science and advanced computing manager Elana Araújo explains everything about the new MOOC that is being developed and will soon be available on the platform. NAU – always learningThis will be the first MOCC on Supercomputing in Portuguese (PT) and will be available to everyone free of charge.
"The goal of this course is to introduce everyone to the world of supercomputers, so they understand how they work, how they develop, and where to find these services in Portugal and Europe."
Save the date!
July 10, 2023
The RNCA 2023 Meeting already has a date and location! On November 7th and 8th, the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto-Douro, in Vila Real, will host the third RNCA event.
The previous event featured 12 sessions, 29 speakers, and over 50 attendees. Review the RNCA Meeting 2022 and join the RNCA community on November 7th and 8th, 2023 in Vila Real.
Extension of the deadline for the 2nd edition of the AI in Cloud call
July 10, 2023
The 2nd edition of the AI in the Cloud call, an FCT call established in partnership with Google, has extended the deadline for submissions until July 26, 2023, at 1 p.m. (Lisbon time). The call aims to support projects in the preferred areas of Natural Language Processing and Ethics in AI, with a total value of US$1 million in credits on the Google Cloud platform. If the quotas for these areas are not met, the resources may be allocated to any field of scientific knowledge.
Science Meeting 2023: RNCA was present last day 7 July
July 10, 2023
The RNCA held a session on July 7th at 2:30 pm in the Academic Sessions Room of the University of Aveiro. The network's latest developments were presented, including the 2023 national calls, the national survey on advanced computing, the new MOOC on Supercomputing, the Deucalion supercomputer, and the network's operational centers. The session concluded with a discussion of opportunities within the European initiative. EuroHPC.
JURES 2023: 17th User conference
July 10, 2023
JURES 2023 will take place on September 13 and 14, 2023, at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona, near the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) facilities. This event is a meeting point for all users, support technicians, the access committee, and the users' committee of the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES). The agenda will focus on the most prominent topics related to the HPC and innovation ecosystem in Spain and Europe.
Expression of Interest: the Supercomputer Bob is looking for new facilities
July 10, 2023
The Bob supercomputer is available for use by any entity belonging to the national science and innovation sectors or, in the case of a company, involved in innovation processes. Interested entities are invited to submit their expression of interest proposal by July 31, 2023, using the appropriate form.
The supercomputer Bob was donated to Portugal in 2019 by the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas (TACC), USA. It was installed in the REN data center in Riba d'Ave, Minho, and, managed jointly by the FCT and the University of Minho, supported national and international research projects aligned with the National Strategy for Advanced Computing.
ESIWACE3 organizes 1st hackathon: meteorological and climate models at LUMI
July 10, 2023
ESiWACE3, a European Center of Excellence for weather and climate simulation, is organizing a hackathon from October 18 to 20, 2023, at the CSC – IT Center for Science, in Finland. The event aims to help researchers adapt and optimize their code to new architectures, such as LUMI, and will be the first of four hackathons organized through the project. It will be an in-person event—with no possibility of remote participation—and there is no participation fee.
National Advanced Computing Survey 2023
June 26, 2023
INCA intends to assess national needs for scientific computing resources and the solutions to be adopted to meet these needs. The information collected will be used to inform developments in the National Advanced Computing Network, which brings together a set of important computing resources nationwide, as well as to review the National Strategy for Advanced Computing.2023 to be carried out in 2023. The Survey is the responsibility of FCCN, a unit of the Foundation for Science and Technology, IP
Cloud AI Call: New Online Information Session on July 4th
June 26, 2023
The second online information session will take place on July 4th at 12:00 pm and aims to answer questions from candidates and interested parties about the types of projects and resources available. The information session is open to the general public and registration is required. The second edition of the Advanced Computing Project Call: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud is open for submissions until July 12th (1:00 pm, Lisbon time), 2023.
Installation of the Deucalion supercomputer proceeds apace
June 26, 2023
The Deucalion supercomputer is being installed at a good pace at the University of Minho's data center in Azurém, with the mechanical and electrical installations of the computing nodes currently underway. Logical installations will begin soon to prepare the machine for initial testing.
Deucalion will provide Portugal with computing capacity for developing simulations in all areas of science, research, and innovation. The computing aggregate weighs 26 tons, consumes approximately 1.7 MegaWatts, and has a maximum processing capacity of 10 PetaFlops. This means it will be able to execute 10 billion operations per second. The platform is the result of a joint investment by the FCT and the EuroHPC-JU, a European Union initiative created in 2018 that aims to make Europe a world leader in supercomputing.
Science Meeting 2023
June 26, 2023
The 2023 Science Meeting will take place on July 5th, 6th, and 7th in Aveiro, at the Santiago University Campus, under the theme "Science and the Ocean Beyond the Horizon." Science Meeting is the largest annual science and technology event in Portugal, promoted by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The RNCA (National Academic Council) has a session scheduled for July 7th at 2:30 pm in the Academic Hall.
Two European supercomputers remain among the five most powerful in the world
May 25, 2023
The list Top500 has just released its latest update and boasts two EuroHPC JU-funded supercomputers at the forefront. LUMI continues to hold third place, and LEONARDO is still within striking distance of the podium.
Registration for FCCN Conference 2023 is now open
May 22, 2023
The 14th FCCN Conference will take place at the Naval School – Alfeite Base in Almada, from June 27 to 29, 2023. Registration for this event is now open and can be completed through the event's dedicated website, recently launched by the organizers. The RNCA has a session scheduled for June 28 at 4:30 p.m.
Cloud Artificial Intelligence Call opens applications on June 1st
May 11, 2023
The 2nd edition of the Advanced Computing Project Call: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud is open for submissions from June 1st to July 12th (1 p.m., Lisbon time), 2023. The Foundation for Science and Technology, through the RNCA, and in partnership with Google, will support research projects in the field of Artificial Intelligence in Portugal with a total value of US$1 million in credits on the Google Cloud platform. At the online information session – date to be announced soon – applicants and interested parties will be able to clarify their questions about the types and resources in the call. More details soon.
Advanced Computing Project Call: Publication of Preliminary Results for A2 Accesses
May 10, 2023
The 3rd edition of the Advanced Computing Project Call approved 31 projects for the A2 Access category, with an approval rate of 60%. A total of approximately 36 million core hours, 23,000 GPU hours, and 756 TB of storage are awarded, with an economic value of over €450,000. The 31 approved computing projects will be implemented at the RNCA's operational centers.
Applications for types A1 and A0 remain open until May 31, 2023 and a new information session will be held on May 16, at 11:30 am.
Photo: Government of Portugal
Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education visits the Minho Advanced Computing Center
May 6, 2023
The Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, visited the Minho Advanced Computing Center, where the government delegation learned about the developments in the installation of the Deucalion Supercomputer. The supercomputer represents a €20 million investment and is expected to be ready this fall, although it is currently in the testing phase.
full news on the website MACC.
Countdown to ISC High Performance 2023
April 17, 2023
Europe's largest high-performance computing event is just around the corner. Hamburg hosts another edition from May 21st to 25th. Registration is now open!
3rd edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call: last batch opens
April 14, 2023
The advanced computing project call is accepting applications for typologies A0 – Experimental Access and A1 – Preparatory or Development Access until May 31 (1 p.m., Lisbon time). To date, 118 applications have been received across the various call typologies, with 43 advanced computing projects approved and approximately 3 million core hours allocated.
EuroCC2: Hybrid event marks the national launch of the project
March 30, 2023
On March 29th, the national partners of the EuroCC2 project met to present their working teams, create synergies, and outline strategies for the next three years. EuroCC2 brings together 34 EU member states and aims to strengthen HPC services and capabilities across Europe to better serve academia, industry, and the public sector. This project is funded by EuroHPC JU and through financing from each partner country.
In the photo: João Nuno Ferreira (General Coordinator of FCT-FCCN), Gabriel Pinheiro (Master's student at the University of Coimbra), Rui Oliveira (Director of MACC and member of the board of INESCTEC).
EuroHPC Summit 2023: RNCA to be present in Gothenburg
March 24, 2023
The EuroHPC Summit 2023 took place from March 20th to 23rd in Gothenburg, Sweden, under the theme European Supercomputing Excellence in the Exascale EraThe EuroHPC Summit is an annual event that brings together key European HPC stakeholders, from suppliers to scientific and industrial users, to policymakers.
The Portuguese delegation participated in two sessions of the event, with the awards ceremony standing out. PRACE Summer of HPC, where Gabriel Pinheiro, a master's student at the University of Coimbra, received the award 2022 HPC Ambassador Award.
Would you like to know more about the EuroHPC JU calls?
March 20, 2023
On March 24th, at 3:00 p.m., the FCT (FCT) and ANI (Ani) will organize an online information session on the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking's calls. Prior registration is required for the session.
THE EuroHPC JU aims to develop, implement, expand and maintain a high-performance computing ecosystem in the EU (High Performance Computing), quantum computing, service and data infrastructure, federated, secure and hyper-connected.
Summer School: HPC for Environmental Aspects
March 6, 2023
From July 16th to 28th, 2023, the University of Grenoble Alpes will host the International Summer School as part of the EUMaster4HPC program. This year's theme will be HPC for Environmental Aspects. The school is designed for students in mathematics, computer science, or engineering specializing in HPC. Registration is open until May 15th.
2nd edition of Artificial intelligence call in cloud will open applications soon
March 1, 2023
The 2nd edition of the Advanced Computing Project Call: Artificial Intelligence is coming soon! The Foundation for Science and Technology, through the RNCA, and in partnership with Google, will support Artificial Intelligence research projects in Portugal with a grant worth US$1 million in Google Cloud platform credits. The 1st edition granted access to 11 projects for 12 months, starting in September 2022. We will soon announce the opening of the 2nd edition.
3rd edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call opens batch C
March 1, 2023
The advanced computing project call continues to accept applications for categories A0 – Experimental Access and A1 – Preparatory or Development Access. Batch C closes on April 4 (1 p.m., Lisbon time) and batch D on May 31 (1 p.m., Lisbon time), or until the quota defined for each access category is exhausted. The RNCA will hold a new information session on March 28 at 12 p.m. During this session, users with and without advanced computing experience can have their questions answered by RNCA experts and technicians. To date, 43 advanced computing projects have been approved and approximately 3 million core hours have been allocated.
EuroCC2: three new years of project
February 22, 2023
On February 7th, 8th, and 9th, representatives from the countries that make up EuroCC 2 met to learn about and discuss in detail the plan for the next three years. Thirty-four nations are working together in this ongoing mission to elevate Europe to the highest level of supercomputing.
The Portuguese consortium is made up of the following entities: FCT, INESC-TEC, LIP, University of Coimbra, University of Évora, IST-UL, University of Aveiro, University of Algarve, University of Beira Interior, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro and University of Porto.
The LUMI supercomputer is officially available to serve European scientists!
February 22, 2023
All eligible European scientists can now apply for the LUMI. Half of the system resources are shared across EuroHPC competitions and are aimed at the research communities, public administration, and industry, while the other half is shared by the countries of the LUMI consortium. The supercomputer EuroHPC JU reached third place on the list Top500 of the world's fastest supercomputers on November 14, 2022. LUMI achieved a measured High Performance Linpack (HPL) performance of 309 petaflops in this biannual list.
RISC2 Project organizes a series of webinars “HPC System & Tools“
February 22, 2023
The series “HPC System & Tools“, promoted by the European project RISC2, is back for its second season. The goal is to present cutting-edge methods and tools for installing and maintaining HPC hardware and software infrastructures. The first four webinars are already scheduled, and on May 31st, João Barbosa, Assistant Researcher at INESCTEC and the University of Minho, will discuss Addressing the challenges of scientific visualization in the Exascale age.
Inauguration of the Advanced Computing Competence Center of the University of Beira Interior
January 26, 2023
On January 25th, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, Prof. Elvira Fortunato, inaugurated the Advanced Computing Competence Center at the University of Beira Interior (3CA-UBI). This center is the result of a protocol with the FCT, with initial funding of one hundred thousand euros and inclusion in the RNCA's list of centers and services. It stands out for its role as a hub for knowledge sharing and access to computing and data visualization resources.
New information session on January 25th
January 16, 2023
The RNCA will hold another information session on January 25th at 11:30 am. During this session, users with and without advanced computing experience will be able to clarify their doubts about the two types of applications: A0 – Experimental Access and A1 – Preparatory or Development Access. Applications for Batch B are being accepted until February 7th (1 pm, Lisbon time). Batch A approved 25 advanced computing projects, totaling nearly 2 million core hours.
Access to EuroHPC supercomputers remains open
December 29, 2022
Researchers from academia, research institutes, public authorities, and industry in Portugal can apply for access to EuroHPC supercomputers. Applications are accepted through various access methods: Benchmark, Development, Regular and Extreme Scale, with different proposal collection dates for the year 2023. The RNCA offers support to interested parties through the national competence center eurocc-portugal.
Europe launches program to train students in supercomputing
December 29, 2022
Applications for the various master's degrees under the EUMaster4HPC program (with the second year to be completed at a European university) are open until February 23, 2023.
The FCT FCCN unit highlights the role of advanced computing and the European EuroCC project
December 29, 2022
From high-performance computing to connectivity and scientific research support, the FCCN Unit has developed innovative initiatives in several areas. Learn about some of them here.
Advanced Computing Training Opportunities Offered by EuroCC
December 16, 2022
Through the EuroCC project, National Competence Centers offer training and education opportunities in various advanced computing topics. From beginner courses to expert courses, find the upcoming dates here.
The 2023 EuroHPC Summit has a date and location.
December 16, 2022
The theme for next year's conference has been set: supercomputing in the exascale era. It is scheduled for early next year in Sweden. The annual event is designed for everyone interested in HPC, from suppliers to scientific and industrial users and policymakers. The next edition will have a particular focus on exascale supercomputing, but will also include details about the current European landscape, as well as present and future opportunities and challenges.
ICAIL 2023: International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law will take place in Braga from June 19 to 23
December 16, 2022
The International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law (ICAIL) has been the most important international conference on research in Artificial Intelligence and Law. It is organized biennially under the auspices of the International Association for Artificial Intelligence and Law (IAAIL) and in cooperation with the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). Proposals for workshops and tutorials are accepted until December 16, 2022, and submissions of papers and presentations are accepted until February 1, 2023.
3rd edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call: Deadline extended for access type A2
November 29, 2022
FCT postpones the deadline for submitting applications for access type A2 – Regular Access or Project for 12/15/2022 (1:00 p.m., Lisbon time). The remaining typologies, A0 – Experimental Access and A1 – Preparatory or Development Access, maintain the deadline for the first batch until 13.12.2022 (1 pm, Lisbon time), and it is possible to submit an application for these last two typologies until 31 May 2023 (subject to the availability of resources).
New information session on November 30th about the Advanced Computing Project Call
November 22, 2022
Following a strong turnout for the first information session, a new session will be held on November 30th. The video conference will open at 11:30 a.m. for candidates or interested parties without prior experience, and after 12 p.m. for candidates or interested parties with advanced computing experience.
Portuguese computing community gathered at the 2nd RNCA Meeting 2022
November 18, 2022
The first in-person edition of the RNCA 2022 Meeting took place at LNEC on November 15th. The event discussed Portuguese and European computing, the challenges that remain, the milestones already achieved, and future plans. The event was sponsored by Fujitsu.
The event Conversation with Researchers: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud brought together experts from various scientific fields
November 15, 2022
On June 7th, researchers awarded resources on the Google Cloud platform met for an informal discussion on Artificial Intelligence. The two sessions, moderated by Luís João (Google PT) and Prof. Luísa Coheur (IST-UL), respectively, discussed the latest scientific advances in the field and the future of artificial intelligence in Portugal and worldwide. Elvira Fortunato, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, and Fernando Pereira, Google's Vice President for AI, renewed the collaboration between the FCT and Google, reinforcing its importance for technological advancement in Portugal. In the photo: Elvira Fortunato (MCTES), Helena Martins (Google PT), Fernando Pereira (Google).
Conversation with Researchers: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud, November 7th at 9:45 am
October 28, 2022
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and Google will hold, on November 7th, a meeting and debate with researchers selected by Advanced Computing Project Call: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud, with the presence of the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, and the Vice President of Google for Artificial Intelligence, Fernando Pereira.
3rd edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call: Applications open on October 25th
October 25, 2022
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through its FCCN unit, opens applications for the 3rd edition of the Advanced Computing Project Call on October 25th. This call aims to consolidate and strengthen the national technological and scientific system through Advanced Computing resources for Research and Innovation, in collaboration with the four operational centers of the RNCA.
RNCA Meeting 2022: November 15 in Lisbon, in the small LNEC auditorium
October 25, 2022
The second edition of the RNCA Meeting will take place on November 15th in the small auditorium of National Civil Engineering Laboratory, in Lisbon. It aims to promote access to national and European resources, stimulate cooperation between the network's operational and competence centers, and empower both the scientific and business communities in advanced computing through dialogue and the sharing of success stories. Save the date!
IBERGRID2022: RNCA at the 11th Iberian Conference
October 12, 2022
It took place from October 10th to 13th on the 11th Iberian Grid Conference at the University of Algarve in Faro. The event was jointly promoted by the FCT, the Spanish Ministry of Science, and the European Commission, and featured a variety of scientific and technological sessions, ranging from cooperation between Iberian research communities to the development of innovative digital services and the implementation of digital twins. In the photo, from left to right, next to the project's stand. EuroCC: João Nuno Ferreira, General Coordinator of FCCN-FCT, and João Pagaime, Manager of RNCA.
JURES22: RNCA attended the 16th user conference
September 20, 2022
On September 14th and 15th, RNCA participated, as an observer, in the Users Conference of Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES), in Cáceres. With supercomputer facilities: Marenostrum 5 in Spain and Deucalion In Portugal, and within the scope of the Iberian Network for Advanced Computing (RCM 60/2021 and Order No. 8459/2022) and joint EuroHPC projects, it is opportune to deepen contacts between the two national networks (RNCA and RES) with a view to better exploiting computing resources and continuing to develop cooperation channels between Portugal and Spain in the field of advanced computing. In the photo, from left to right: Oriol Pineda Martinez, João Pagaime, Sergi Girona, Catarina Guerreiro.
EuroCC: RNCA attended the first conference in Montenegro
September 13, 2022
On September 7th, 8th and 9th, RNCA participated in the project's first in-person conference EuroCC in Budva, Montenegro. Three days were dedicated to the 33 new competence centers in the member countries, the results obtained over the two-year project, and the successor project, EuroCC2, which will begin in 2023. EuroCC aims to fill existing HPC skills gaps by promoting cooperation and the implementation of best practices in member countries and associated participants across Europe.
Professor Marija Vranic wins the “PRACE Ada Lovelace” Award
August 23, 2022
Awarded annually to a female scientist in recognition of her outstanding contribution and impact on High Performance Computing (HPC) in Europe and worldwide, inspiring other women at the beginning of their scientific careers, the "PRACE Ada Lovelace Award" came to Técnico for the first time this year. The winner of the 2022 edition is Professor Marija Vranic, a researcher in the Lasers and Plasmas Group at the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion, whose pioneering work in techniques for representing quantum effects in extreme plasmas has not gone unnoticed beyond borders.
full news at: https://tecnico.ulisboa.pt/pt/noticias/campus-e-comunidade/professora-marija-vranic-vence-o-premio-prace-ada-lovelace/
EuroCC: the project's first conference takes place in September
August 23, 2022
The first EuroCC project conference will take place on September 7th and 9th in Budva, Montenegro. The event will feature internal project sessions and public sessions broadcast on the event website. The event will feature interesting panel discussions, news from the National Competence Centers, and much more. EuroCC project aims to fill existing gaps in HPC skills by promoting cooperation and the implementation of best practices in the 33 member countries and associated participants across Europe.
Results of the 1st artificial intelligence call supported by Google: 11 candidate projects approved
August 23, 2022
The FCT (FCT) has published the preliminary results of the 2022 Advanced Computing Project Call: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud. Eleven projects were approved for access to Google Cloud platform credits, totaling USD 799,364 (US dollars), earmarked for this year. The resources available for this call are the result of a collaboration agreement between the FCT and Google to support Artificial Intelligence research in Portugal. The aim is to launch the second edition of this cloud artificial intelligence project call next year and expand the initiative to more national users.
EGI 2022: the future of computing at the service of scientific research
August 8, 2022
Prague hosts the annual event organized by EGI and CESNET. From September 20th to 22nd, the EGI 2022 conference will discuss innovation in computing to ensure better and greater support for research. The program and pre-registration are now available and can be found on the event website.
Bootcamp on Artificial Intelligence applied to Science
July 20, 2022
From September 12th to 13th, the GPU programming bootcamp, organized by EuroCC Portugal, will take place online. It is aimed at Portuguese researchers and students using this tool in HPC and Artificial Intelligence.
RES: 16th User Conference will be held in Cáceres from September 14th to 15th, 2022
July 20, 2022
The Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES) is organizing the network's Annual User Conference to showcase its latest developments and provide relevant information on accessing its resources and the European HPC ecosystem. This event is a meeting place for sharing knowledge and experiences in the use of HPC, and the RNCA will not miss it.
MUG 2022: RNCA presents its centers and community access calls of HPC
July 19, 2022
RNCA accepted the invitation from MACC – Minho Advanced Computing Center and on July 7th and 8th went to Porto to participate in a session of MUG dedicated to the RNCA and its HPC users. The RNCA congratulates the MACC for its excellent organization and the program packed with notable speakers, which resulted in valuable discussions on the state of the art in HPC in Europe and worldwide. The event was attended by the Minister of Science and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato; the Vice-President of the FCT, Francisco Santos; and the Executive Director of EuroHPC-JU, Anders Dam Jensen, among many others.
Jornadas 2022: We were present on June 2nd in Viseu
July 19, 2022
On June 2nd, the 2022 Scientific Computing Conference, organized by the FCCN Unit, FCT, featured a session entitled Advanced Computing. The session highlighted the various advanced computing services in Portugal and the centers that make up the National Advanced Computing Network (RNCA). It was with great satisfaction that we gave a platform and a voice to all the RNCA member centers and discussed the present and future of advanced computing in Portugal.
IBERGRID 2022: 11th edition will take place at the University of Algarve
June 23, 2022
The 11th edition of the IBERGRID Conference will take place at the University of Algarve, in Faro, from October 10th to 13th. IBERGRID 2022 will focus on topics related to the development, adoption, and quality of integrated services, applications, and digital twins to support cutting-edge research.
MUG 2022: Porto hosts MACC HPC event
June 23, 2022
From July 7th to 8th, the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Porto will host MUG 2022, organized by the Minho Advanced Computing Centre. The event aims to foster a collaborative environment between potential and current HPC users and operational teams to better serve the scientific community.
Discover the new “EuroCC MSc Fellows in Advanced Computing” program from Instituto Superior Técnico
June 9, 2022
On May 19th, we went to Instituto Superior Técnico (IST-UL) to attend presentations by students from the EuroCC Master's in Advanced Computing program and to learn about the national and European supercomputer ecosystem and the training opportunities offered by the EuroCC project. Learn more about IST's new scholarship program and the EuroCC project.
The National Advanced Computing Network at the Science 2022 meeting
May 19, 2022
On May 17th, at the Lisbon Congress Center, a session took place on the National Advanced Computing Network (RNCA), in which its operational centers and the experience resulting from the Advanced Computing Project Calls (CPCA) were presented.
RNCA will be present at the 2022 Science Meeting
May 5, 2022
Ciência 2022 – A Meeting with Science and Technology in Portugal will take place from May 16 to 18, 2022, at the Lisbon Congress Center. The RNCA and its Operational Centers will be present at the event.
RNCA will be present at the Scientific Computing Conference 2022
May 5, 2022
Between May 31st and June 2nd, the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu will be the meeting point for the community served by the FCCN Unit, FCT during the Scientific Computing Days 2022. RNCA and its Centers will be present at the event.
Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud: 1st Edition of Project Call
March 24, 2022
From March 30th to May 18th, applications are open for the Advanced Cloud Computing Projects call in Artificial Intelligence, which will provide resources worth one million dollars.
List of Approved Projects in the 2nd Edition of the Advanced Computing Call Released
March 7, 2022
The second edition of the Advanced Computing Project Call for type A2 – Project Access received 58 applications, with a total number of hours requested 391% higher than the available capacity.
Events related to Advanced Computing
PRACE DAYS 2022 | March 22-24, 2022
EuroHPC Summit Week 2022, Paris, France | March 22-24 2022
More info: https://www.etp4hpc.eu/events/eurohpc-summit-week022-paris-france_589.html
IIntroduction to HPC Programming Environment @MACC | 22 – 24 November 2021
Course limited to 40 participants.
THE RNCA Meeting 2021 is the first event organized for the National Advanced Computing Network (RNCA).
Day 1 – Infrastructure: Advanced Computing in Portugal. What is the RNCA? And Deucalion? Introduction to the centers and platforms.
Day 2 – Info-structure: Training Opportunities in Advanced Computing: National and European Offer. EuroCC Project.
Day 3 – People: Research & Innovation at RNCA. Access calls. Sharing experiences and use cases. Roundtable discussions between centers and users.
3rd LUMI/EuroHPC JU Systems Roadshow | September 8-9, 2021
@ 9-11:00 (CET), online
Registration here
UTAustin Portugal Webinar #2: Is HPC ready for “Big” Data Storage? | September 16
@3pm, online
Throughout the second half of 2021 and 2022, the UT Austin Portugal Program and the BigHPC consortium are organizing a series of webinars “On the Road to HPC: Major Challenges and New Opportunities” to spark discussion between academia and industry about the challenges surrounding High Performance Computing (HPC) and the main opportunities that lie ahead for both sides.
Information about the event
15th RES Users Conference | September 16–17, 2021, online
More information here: https://www.res.es/es/eventos/15th-users-conference
PRACE Autumn School – Fundamentals of Biomolecular Simulations and Virtual Drug Development | 24 – 28 September 2021
More information here: https://events.prace-ri.eu/event/1222/
PRACE Autumn School 2021 – HPC and FAIR Big Data | September 28 – October 1, 2021, online
More information here: https://events.prace-ri.eu/event/1226/
PRACE Autumn School – EuroHPC Flagship Supercomputers | October 11–15, 2021, Finland
More information here: https://events.prace-ri.eu/event/1188/
UT Austin Portugal 2021 Annual Conference | October 20–21, 2021, Porto & online
More information https://conference.utaustinportugal.org/
Supercomputing Conference 2021 | November 14–19, 2021, USA
More information: https://sc21.supercomputing.org/program/
EU DATAVIZ'21 | November 23–24, 2021
Event page: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eudataviz/home
Webinar | Containerized Application Performance at Petascale | July 22, 2021
@ 15:00 (UTC+1)
Throughout the second half of 2021 and 2022, the UT Austin Portugal Program and the BigHPC consortium are organizing a series of webinars “On the Road to HPC: Major Challenges and New Opportunities” to spark discussion between academia and industry about the challenges surrounding High Performance Computing (HPC) and the main opportunities that lie ahead for both sides.
Supercomputing Frontiers Europe 2021 | July 19-23, 2021, online
More information: https://lnkd.in/eYHjaNx
PRACE Summer of HPC Training Week | June 30 – July 3, 2021
URL: https://summerofhpc.prace-ri.eu/
Science Meeting'21 | June 28–30, 2021
Links to event videos and recordings here https://www.encontrociencia.pt/2021/
MUG: MACC User Group Workshop | June 15-18, 2021
Join this event, where you can learn more about Deucalion and MACC.
Registration for this event is open until June 11, 2021.
e-IRG Workshop – e-Infrastructures for Climate Change and Digital Transitions | May 25-26, 2021
The first Workshop e-Infrastructure Reflection Group (e-IRG) in 2021 under the Portuguese Presidency of the EU, open to the public, will take place on May 25-26, 2021. Register here: https://indico.fccn.pt/event/15/overview
EuroHPC Summit Week & PRACE days | March 22-26, 2021
Signing of Protocols for the creation of Competence Centers at UAveiro, UTAD and UBI | November 2020
Taking into account the objectives set out in the strategyAdvanced Computing Portugal 2030, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) signed cooperation protocols in November withthe University of Aveiro,that of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douroandwith that of Beira do Interiorfor the creation of three Advanced Computing Competence Centers.
The initiative, which runs in parallel with the internal network upgrade of the RTCS 100 project, also foresees the opening of three more centers located at the University of Algarve, Lisbon and Porto by 2021.
Equipped with state-of-the-art visualization software and hardware, the centers, which are scheduled to be installed in the first half of next year, aim to strengthen national resources, access, and scientific production in advanced digital skills, AI, and big data, enabling closer ties between research groups and companies.
Advanced Computing Portugal 2030 Events | October 23, 2020
THE Advanced Computing Portugal 2030 took place on October 23rd, at the Azurém campus of the University of Minho in Guimarães for the presentation of the Deucalion, the supercomputer that complements the national advanced computing strategy, and which joins BOB, the supercomputer installed in 2019, in Minho Advanced Computing Center (MACC).
Under the motto "Progress achieved and new challenges," the session also highlighted the progress made in advanced computing and the needs of the Portuguese scientific and technological community, including current and potential future users of the Minho Advanced Computing Centre (MACC). Learn more here
Applied Visualization Workshop, UTAustin Portugal | June 7-8, 2020
