News
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 the ATTRACT European Digital Innovation Hub .
The objective of this participation was to publicize the resources and opportunities in advanced computing and artificial intelligence that exist at the service of national research, highlighting RNCA as an important partner in accelerating digital innovation.
The event served as a platform for promoting 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 the 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 members of the RIAG for two-year terms was taken on February 29 by the Partnership's Board of Directors, in which the FCT represents Portugal as a Participating State. The twelve members who make up the RIAG are selected on the basis of scientific and technical merit, with André Martins being the candidate appointed by the FCT.
RNCA will be present at the FCCN 2024 Conference in Funchal
April 8th, 2024
The largest annual meeting of the national research and higher education community will take place in Funchal from April 15th to 17th.
A ARDITI - Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation is the local organization hosting this edition of the meeting.
The session dedicated to the National Advanced Computing Network will take place on April 16 at 2:30 p.m. in the Lisbon Room of the Pestana Casino Park.
We will also be present at the "Cloud Services and Networks" session with a presentation on the Google Cloud AI Project Competitionson April 17 at 11:15 a.m. , 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 18 to 21 March and was held in the heart of Antwerp, at the Flanders Meeting and Convention Centre, A Room With a Zoo.
O EuroCC Portugal presented its Success Stories at the Workshop: Elevate and Collaborate: European HPC NCCs and CoEs. During the session, some of the most impactful national projects that exemplify the transformative potential of high-performance computing in various sectors were presented.
From investigating the complexities of the ocean to revolutionizing the footwear industry, unraveling the mysteries of the human brain, and even remembering the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Portuguese National Competence Center showed 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 are a researcher in the social sciences or humanities and want to take advantage of computational tools to complement your work, join this enlightening event aimed at demystifying the world of high performance computing (HPC) and exploring its transformative potential for all scientific areas.
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 the investigation workflow, accessing computing resources, optimizing code, and collaborating with HPC experts.
Networking opportunities: Connect with other HPC researchers, professionals and experts to exchange ideas, share experiences and valuable collaborations.
EuroCC2 in collaboration: NCC Portugal & NCC Norway meeting
March 8th, 2024
While visiting Portugal, representatives of the Norwegian National Competence Center (NCC) paid a visit to Lisbon, thus promoting a collaborative meeting with NCC Portugal. The venue chosen for the meeting was the Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP) in Lisbon, serving as an environment conducive to the exchange of knowledge and experiences between the two centers.
Representatives from both countries exchanged and shared experiences in the area of high performance computing (HPC) and its associated domains. The focal point of the discussions revolved around the presentation of the latest advances in the respective national HPC infrastructures, as well as success stories.
NCC Portugal, committed to the development of computing skills in Portugal, collaborated with the newly created NCC Norway, which is under the direction of Sigma2. This 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 by fostering a collaborative environment that ensures sustained growth and development in this field.
Advanced Computing User Forum: a new platform for sharing knowledge
February 26th, 2024
The recently launched Advanced Computing User Forum represents a platform for sharing knowledge and a new catalyst for scientific and technological progress, promoting 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 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.
It will also welcome new users, offering guidance and support in solving problems.
For those wishing to contact this forum, an online form is availableproviding a direct means of communication with the coordination team. This initiative aims to ensure that all questions, comments and suggestions from the community are promptly answered and considered.
ISC High Performance 2024. From May 12th to 16th in Hamburg
February 15th, 2024
The ISC High Performance 2024 conference is an annual global gathering for suppliers and users of HPC technology. Its aim is to promote the growth of a thriving community that now includes professionals in machine learning, data analysis and quantum computing. The first ISC conference took place in 1986.
The ISC 2024 conference will be held 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. From March 18th to 21st in Antwerp
February 12, 2024
The 2024 edition of the EuroHPC Summit will bring together relevant stakeholders in the European supercomputing scene. 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 EuroHPC JU supercomputer users
February 9th, 2024
EuroHPC JU has launched the EPICURE project to improve support for users of EuroHPC supercomputers. The project aims to establish Support Teams (ASTs) in 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 duration of 48 months, EPICURE aims to improve the accessibility and efficiency of support services for successful applicants to EuroHPC JU tenders for access to supercomputing.
Supercomputing at the service of sleep research
January 25th, 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 data on sleep. Using the LUMI supercomputer, operated by the Finnish academic network, the researchers simulated neural networks across 20,000 Polysomnography (PSG) records 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 the effective manipulation of large, globally dispersed datasets, highlighting its crucial role in sleep research.
In total, the project received 3,500 GPU hours at LUMI. If a single GPU had done the job, it would have taken 145 days, longer than the entire 4-month thesis period.
2nd Edition of the Computational Biosciences Course using HPC Systems
January 12th, 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 the EuroCC Projectwill be teaching 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 6 to 8 at the Faculty of Science and Technology of NOVA University Lisbon.
EuroHPC JU: applications for Support Center for European Artificial Intelligence (AI) users
December 21st, 2023
Applications are invited for the creation of an AI Support Centre (AISC) to bring together and provide specialized know-how in advanced AI technologies and deliver high-performance computing (HPC)-based services to developers and users of large-scale AI models. The aim is to help European AI communities improve their workflows by leveraging more advanced HPC resources to develop complex models with a significant impact across Europe, including base models for generative AI.
Applications for DIGITAL-EUROHPC-JU-2023-AISC-03 will be open until February 27, 2024, and the selected projects should start in September of the same year, with a duration of 36 months.
Inauguration of the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer
December 15th, 2023
On December 21, Barcelona will become the epicenter of technological innovation with the inauguration of the MareNostrum 5 (MN5) supercomputer, a powerhouse that will boost 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, at the exascale, reinforcing Europe's role at the forefront of global technological innovation.
National research will be able to take advantage of this resource, through opportunities such as the 4th Call Advanced Computing Projects. Approximately 5% of MN5's capacity will be available for allocation to Portuguese beneficiaries.
2nd Information Session on the 4th edition of Call Advanced Computing Projects
November 29, 2023
The application period for the Call Advanced Computing Projects, in the various types of access, is still open. See information on applications at https://rnca.fccn.pt/projetos/
The 2nd online information session on Call will be held on December 5, 2023, at 12 noon, for all applicants and interested parties.
⬇️ Sign up now!
National Day of Scientific Culture
November 24, 2023
The National Day for Scientific Culture, 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 socio-economic development, emphasizing how innovation and scientific research are key to tackling global challenges and driving progress.
Advanced computing has been integrated into the panorama of the National Day of Scientific Culture, 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 building 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 7 and 8, 2023, in Vila Real, at UTAD, the new INCD equipment was inaugurated.
Until now, the INCD's computing and data infrastructure had operational centers in Lisbon and Coimbra. Now there is also an operational center in Vila Real with the support of UTAD and FCT. The inauguration of the operational center was attended by representatives of UTAD, FCT and INCD, and was followed by a visit to the UTAD datacenter where the equipment is housed.
RNCA Meeting 2023
November 10th, 2023
The RNCA 2023 Meeting was held on November 7 and 8, 2023, in Vila Real, at UTAD.
The event included a wide range of presentations in plenary sessions, debates and round tables, workshops and networking. The topics focused on advanced computing services and projects with a user focus, the advantages and results of using High Performance Computing (HPC) in projects, and the 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.
In addition, new INCD equipment was inaugurated. The new operational center will be housed in the UTAD Data Center (Cirrus-D and Stratus-D).
EuroHPC User Day
November 2nd, 2023
The 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 knowledge of the possibilities offered by the EuroHPC JU. Users will also be invited to present their projects and experiences, and EuroHPC will create a publication with all the projects that present their proposals.
NuTTS 2023: Access to European Supercomputing: more than a tool, an opportunity.
October 20th, 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 between experts in the field to disseminate the latest results in research related to ocean sustainability.
The RNCA presentation: Access to European Supercomputing: more than a tool, an opportunity aimed to show the opportunities and answers 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 18th, 2023
The NAU MOOC on Supercomputing created by EuroCC Portugal, with the support of the Foundation for Science and Technology, aims to introduce the world of supercomputers to anyone, so that anyone interested knows how they are developed, how they work, what the advantages of using them are 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 show that supercomputing exists and is within everyone's reach.
4th Call Advanced Computing Projects opens in October
October 2nd, 2023
The Advanced Computing Project Competitions continue to provide free computing resources for R&D&I projects in all fields of knowledge. The 4th edition opens for applications on October 26 with more platforms and a new typology. Sign up for the online Information Session on October 26 at 12 noon to find out more.
Vila Real hosts 3rd RNCA meeting in November - Registration now open!
October 2nd, 2023
The biggest annual event of the National Network for Advanced Computing is coming up. On November 7 and 8, the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto-Douro, in Vila Real, will host the third RNCA meeting, 100% face-to-face. This meeting for users, technicians and partners provides news about the network, develops the national HPC ecosystem and provides a meeting point for all those interested in Advanced Computing. Two days focused on users and the future of RNCA. See the provisional agenda on the event page.
RNCA at the 17th RES conference in Barcelona
September 25th, 2023
The annual conference of the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES) took place on September 13 and 14 in Barcelona, next to the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC). As a partner of RES and the EuroCC project, RNCA was represented by FCCN's Advanced Computing team and collaborators from INESC TEC/University of Minho.
Congratulations to the 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 6 at UMinho's School of Architecture, Art and Design, on the Azurém campus in Guimarães. The session began at 2.30pm and was attended by the Prime Minister, António Costa, the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, the President of the FCT, Madalena Alves, members of the EuroHPC JU initiative, among 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 progress in 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). Topics to be covered in the session:
- use of AI applications on EuroHPC supercomputers
- access to these supercomputers
- future AI-related events, training and invitations
- possibilities of support from EuroCC national competence centers
- numerous success stories that have used opportunities promoted by EuroHPC.
Call open for the development of innovative exascale algorithms
August 16th, 2023
The Inno4scale program is accepting applications until September 28. It has total funding of more than 4 million euros and each approved project is expected to receive a maximum of 200,000 euros. The most successful algorithms will then be adopted by HPC users in academia and industry, among others.
Open AI at RNCA with Albertina PT
August 16th, 2023
Discover the opinion of António Branco, Professor at the Lisbon Faculty of Science 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 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 16th, 2023
The FF4EuroHPC project has published a booklet that brings together success stories of companies using advanced or high-performance computing technologies.
A total of 16 examples of companies that have used or are using high-performance solutions are shared by the EuroHPC project in the FF4EuroHPC Success Stories booklet. This publication brings together use cases in areas as diverse as health, management, physics or artificial intelligence. The variety of companies represented is not limited to their area of activity, but also to their country of origin - a total of eight countries are represented - as well as their size.
3rd edition of Call Advanced Computing Projects closes with record 140 projects approved
August 16th, 2023
Interest in and use of advanced computing has grown across the board in all areas of national scientific and technological knowledge with the creation of editions of the Call Advanced Computing Projects, organized by 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 value of the projects estimated at more than 500 thousand euros.
RNCA attended the 174th European Study Group
with Industry in Felgueiras
July 21, 2023
The European Study Group with Industry event took place from July 3 to 7 at the School of Management and Technology of the Polytechnic of Porto, Felgueiras. These meetings were created with the aim of renewing and strengthening the links between Mathematics and Industry, bringing together several European experts. RNCA was present at this event with a session presented by the FCT-FCCN General Coordinator, João Nuno Ferreira.
Expression of Interest: Deucalion Benchmarking
July 19, 2023
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) invites potential stakeholders from the national sectors of Science, Technology, Innovation and Public Administration to register their availability to work together with technical support on the benchmarking tests of the Deucalion supercomputer.
This opportunity is not intended for research work, but will allow selected users to contribute to the final installation phase of Deucalion, a technological resource of extreme importance for the scientific and technological community of Portugal.
Interested parties can register until September 29.
First MOOC on Supercomputing in Portuguese EN
July 11, 2023
In the sixth episode of Nau Talks, the Advanced Science and Computing Manager, Elana Araújo, explains us everything about the new MOOC that is being developed and that very soon will be available on the NAU platform - always learning. This will be the first MOCC on Supercomputing in Portuguese (PT) and will be available to everyone for free.
"Through this course, the aim is to introduce this world of supercomputers to anyone, so that they know how they work, develop and where to find these services in Portugal and Europe."
Save the date!
July 10, 2023
The RNCA 2023 Meeting already has date and place set! On November 7 and 8, the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto-Douro, in Vila Real, will host the third RNCA event.
The previous event had 12 sessions, 29 speakers and over 50 participants. Review the RNCA 2022 Meeting and join the RNCA community on November 7 and 8, 2023 in Vila Real.
Deadline extension for the 2nd edition of Call AI in the cloud
July 10, 2023
The 2nd edition of Call AI in the cloud, Call FCT established in partnership with Google, extends the deadline for submitting applications until July 26, 2023, at 1pm (Lisbon time). Call aims to support projects in the preferred areas of Natural Language Processing and Ethics in AI for a total of 1 million dollars in credits on the Google Cloud platform. If the quotas for these areas are not filled, the funds can be allocated to any area of scientific knowledge.
Science 2023 Meeting: RNCA was present on July 7
July 10, 2023
The RNCA had a session on July 7 at 14h30 in the Academic Acts Room of the University of Aveiro. The news of the network were presented, namely, the national competitions of 2023, the national survey of advanced computing, the new MOOC on Supercomputing, the Deucalion supercomputer and the operational centers of the network. The end of the session was dedicated to the opportunities under the European EuroHPC initiative.
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 facilities of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC). This event is a meeting point for all the users, support technicians, access committee and user committee of the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES). The agenda will focus on the most prominent topics related to the HPC ecosystem and innovation in Spain and Europe.
Expression of Interest: Supercomputer Bob is looking for new premises
July 10, 2023
Supercomputer Bob is available to be hosted 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 31st, 2023, in the appropriate form.
The Bob supercomputer was donated to Portugal in 2019 by the Texas Advanced Computing Center of the University of Texas (TACC), USA. It was installed at the REN datacenter in Riba d'Ave in Minho and, managed in partnership by the FCT and the University of Minho, provided support for national and international research projects, aligned with the National Strategy for Advanced Computing.
ESIWACE3 organizes 1st hackathon: weather and climate models at LUMI
July 10, 2023
ESiWACE3, a Center of Excellence in weather and climate simulation in Europe, is organizing a hackathon from October 18-20, 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 a face-to-face event - no remote participation possible - and with no participation fee.
National Advanced Computing Survey 2023
June 26, 2023
INCA intends to survey the national needs in scientific computing resources and the solutions to be adopted to meet these needs. The information gathered will be used to inform developments in the National Advanced Computing Network, which brings together a number of important national computing resources, as well as for the revision of the National Strategy for Advanced Computing.2023 to be carried out in 2023. The Survey is being carried out by FCCN, a unit of the Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P.
Call AI in the Cloud: new online information session on July 4th
June 26, 2023
The 2nd online information session will take place on July 4 at 12 noon and aims to clarify the doubts of applicants and interested parties about the types of funding and resources available at Call. The information session is open to all and requires compulsory registration. The 2nd edition of Call Projects in Advanced Computing: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud is open for submissions until July 12 (13h, Lisbon time) 2023.
Deucalion supercomputer installation proceeds at a good pace
June 26, 2023
The Deucalion Supercomputer is being installed at the University of Minho's data center, in Azurém, where the mechanical and electrical installations of the computing nodes are being performed. Soon the logical installations will begin in order to prepare the machine for the first tests.
Deucalion will provide Portugal with computing capacity for the development of simulations in all areas of science, research and innovation. The computational cluster weighs 26 tons, consumes about 1.7 MegaWatts and has a maximum processing capacity of 10 PetaFlops. This means that it will have the capacity to perform 10 billion operations per second. The platform comes from joint investimennto by FCT and EuroHPC-JU, a European Union initiative created in 2018 that aims to make Europe a world leader in the field of supercomputing.
Science 2023 Meeting
June 26, 2023
The 2023 edition of the Science Meeting will take place on July 5, 6 and 7 in Aveiro, at Campo Universitário de Santiago, under the motto "Science and the Ocean Beyond the Horizon". The Science Meeting is the largest annual event in the area of science and technology in Portugal, promoted by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The RNCA has a session scheduled on July 7 at 14:30 in the Sala de Atos Académicos.
Two European supercomputers remain among the five most powerful in the world
May 25, 2023
The Top500 list has just released its latest update and features two EuroHPC JU-funded supercomputers in the top spots. LUMI continues to secure third position and LEONARDO is still at the entrance to the podium.
Registration for FCCN 2023 Conference is now open
May 22, 2023
The 14th edition of the FCCN Conference will take place at the Naval School - Alfeite Base in Almada, between June 27 and 29, 2023. Registration for this event is already open and can be done through the site dedicated to the event, recently launched by the organization. The RNCA has a session scheduled for June 28th at 16h30.
Call Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud opens for applications on June 1st
May 11, 2023
The 2nd edition of Call Projects in Advanced Computing: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud is open for submissions from June 1 to July 12 (1pm Lisbon time) 2023. The Foundation for Science and Technology, through the RNCA, and in partnership with Google, will support research projects in the area of Artificial Intelligence in Portugal to the total value of 1 million dollars in credits on the Google Cloud platform. At the online information session - date to be announced soon - candidates and interested parties will be able to clarify their doubts about the types of funding and resources available at Call. More details soon.
Call of Advanced Computing Projects: publication of the preliminary results of the A2 Accesses
May 10, 2023
The 3rd edition of Call Advanced Computing Projects approved 31 projects for the A2 Access typology, with an approval rate of 60%. In total, around 36 M core hours, 23,000 GPU hours and 756 TB of storage have been allocated, for an economic value of over 450,000 €. The 31 approved computing projects will be carried out in the RNCA's operational centers.
Applications for A1 and A0 typologies are still open until May 31, 2023, and a new information session will be held on May 16, 11:30am.
Photo: Government of Portugal
Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education visits Minho's Advanced Computing Center
May 6, 2023
The Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, visited Minho's Center for Advanced Computing, where the government delegation learned about developments in the installation of the Deucalion supercomputer. The supercomputer represents an investment of 20 million euros and is expected to be ready in the fall of this year, being currently in the testing phase.
Complete news on MACC's site.
Countdown to ISC High Performance 2023
April 17, 2023
Europe's biggest event for high performance computing is right around the corner. Hamburg hosts another edition, between May 21 and 25. Registration is now open!
3rd edition of Call Advanced Computing Projects: last batch opens
April 14, 2023
Call for advanced computing projects is accepting applications for typologies A0 - Experimental Access and A1 - Preparatory or Development Access until May 31st (1pm Lisbon time). So far, 118 applications have been received for the different topologies at Call, with 43 advanced computing projects approved and around 3 M core.hours allocated.
EuroCC2: Hybrid event marks national launch of the project
March 30, 2023
On March 29th, the national partners of the EuroCC2 project met to present the work teams, create synergies and outline the strategies for the next 3 years. EuroCC2 aggregates 34 EU member states and aims to strengthen services and competencies in HPC throughout Europe to better serve academia, industry and the public sector. This project is funded by the EuroHPC JU and by each partner country's own funding.
In the photo: João Nuno Ferreira (General Coordinator of the FCT-FCCN), Gabriel Pinheiro (MSc student at the University of Coimbra), Rui Oliveira (Director of MACC and member of the board of INESCTEC).
EuroHPC Summit 2023: The RNCA will be present in Gothenburg
March 24, 2023
On March 20-23 the EuroHPC Summit 2023 was held in Gothenburg, Sweden, under the theme European Supercomputing Excellence in the Exascale Era. The EuroHPC Summit is an annual event that brings together key European stakeholders in HPC, from vendors, to scientific and industrial users, to policy makers.
The Portuguese delegation participated in two sessions of the event, the highlight being the PRACE Summer of HPC Awards ceremony, where Gabriel Pinheiro, a master's student from the University of Coimbra, received the 2022 HPC Ambassador Award.
Would you like to know more about the EuroHPC JU contests?
March 20 2023
FCT and ANI organize, on March 24th at 3pm, an online clarification session on the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking tenders. The session requires prior registration.
The EuroHPC JU aims to develop, implement, extend and maintain in the EU a federated, secure and hyper-connected ecosystem ofhigh performance computing, quantum computing, services and data infrastructure.
Summer School: HPC for Environmental Aspects
March 6, 2023
From July 16 to 28, 2023, the University of Grenoble Alpes is hosting 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 the fields of mathematics, computer science or engineering specializing in HPC. Applications are open until May 15.
2nd edition of the Call on artificial intelligence in the cloud will open applications soon
March 1, 2023
The 2nd edition of Call Advanced Computing Projects: Artificial Intelligence is coming soon! The Foundation for Science and Technology, through RNCA, and in partnership with Google, will support research projects in the field of Artificial Intelligence in Portugal to the value of 1 million dollars in credits on the Google Cloud platform. The 1st edition granted access to 11 projects for 12 months, starting in September 2022. We will soon be announcing news about the opening of the 2nd edition.
3rd edition of Call Advanced Computing Projects opens batch C
March 1, 2023
Call for advanced computing projects is still accepting applications for typologies A0 - Experimental Access and A1 - Preparatory or Development Access. Batch C closes on April 4 (13h, Lisbon time) and batch D on May 31 (13h, Lisbon time) or until the quota defined for each type of access is exhausted. The RNCA will hold another information session on March 28 at 12 noon. At this session, users with and without experience in advanced computing will be able to clarify their doubts with RNCA experts and technicians. To date, 43 advanced computing projects have been approved and around 3 million core hours have been allocated.
EuroCC2: three new project years
February 22, 2023
During February 7, 8 and 9, representatives of the countries that make up EuroCC 2 were gathered to learn about and discuss in detail the plan for the next three years. There are 34 nations, working together, in this ongoing mission to raise Europe to the highest level of supercomputing.
The Portuguese consortium is composed 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 e 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 LUMI. Half of the system's resources are shared through EuroHPC tenders and are directed to the research communities, public administration and industry, while the other half are shared by the LUMI consortium countries. The EuroHPC JU supercomputer reached third place in the Top500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers on November 14, 2022. LUMI achieved a measured high performance Linpack (HPL) performance of 309 petaflops on this biannual list.
RISC2 Project Hosts "HPC system & Tools" Webinar Series
February 22, 2023
The "HPC system & Tools" series, promoted by the European RISC2 project, is back for its second season. The goal is to present cutting-edge methods and tools for the installation and maintenance of HPC hardware and software infrastructures. The first four webinars are already scheduled and, on May 31st, João Barbosa, Assistant Researcher from INESCTEC and University of Minho, will talk about Addressing the challenges of scientific visualization in the Exascale age.
Inaguration of the Competence Centre for Advanced Computing at the University of Beira Interior
January 26, 2023
On January 25th, the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Prof. Elvira Fortunato, inaugurated the room of the Advanced Computing Competence Center of the University of Beira Interior (3CA-UBI). This center results from a protocol with FCT with initial funding of one hundred thousand euros and inclusion of this space in the RNCA centers and services roadmap. It stands out for being a point of knowledge sharing and access to computing and data visualization resources.
New information session on January 25
January 16, 2023
The RNCA will hold another information session on January 25 at 11:30 am. In this session, users with and without experience in advanced computing will be able to clarify their doubts about the two types of Call : A0 - Experimental Access and A1 - Preparatory or Development Access. Batch B is accepting applications until February 7th (1pm Lisbon time). Lot A approved 25 advanced computing projects, totaling almost 2M core.hours allocated.
Access to EuroHPC supercomputers remains open
December 29, 2022
Researchers from academia, research institutes, public authorities and industry in Portugal can apply for and access EuroHPC supercomputers. Applications are accepted in different access modes: Benchmark, Development, Regular and Extreme Scale, with different collection dates for the year 2023. RNCA offers support to interested parties through the national competence center eurocc-portugal.
Europe Opens Program to Train Students in Supercomputing
December 29, 2022
Applications for the various master's degrees that are under the EUMaster4HPC program (with the second year being at a European university) are running until February 23, 2023.
FCT's FCCN unit highlights the role of advanced computing and the European EuroCC project
December 29, 2022
From high performance computing to connectivity, including support for scientific research, there are several areas in which the FCCN Unit has developed innovative initiatives. Learn more about some of them here.
Advanced computing training opportunities offered by EuroCC
December 16, 2022
Through the EuroCC project, the National Competence Centers offer education and training opportunities in a variety of advanced computing topics. From beginner courses to expert courses, find upcoming dates here.
The date and venue for the EuroHPC Summit 2023 has been set
December 16, 2022
The motto for next year's conference is out: supercomputing in the exascale era. It is scheduled for early next year in Sweden. The annual event is designed for everyone interested in HPC matters, from vendors, to scientific and industrial users, to policy makers. The upcoming edition will have a particular focus on exascale supercomputing, but no details will be left out 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 19th to 23rd
December 16, 2022
The International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law (ICAIL) has been the premier 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 paper and demonstration submissions until February 1, 2023.
3rd edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call: Deadline extended for the A2 access typology
November 29, 2022
FCT postpones the deadline for submissions of applications for the A2 access typology - Regular Access or Project to 15/12/2022 (13h, Lisbon time). The remaining typologies, A0 - Experimental Access and A1 - Preparatory Access or Development, maintain the deadline for the first batch for 13.12.2022 (1pm, Lisbon time), being possible to submit an application to these last two typologies until 31 May 2023 (subject to availability of resources).
New Info Session on November 30th about the Advanced Computing Projects Call
November 22, 2022
After a great attendance to the first informative session, a new session will be held on November 30th. The videoconference will open at 11:30 for candidates or interested parties with no previous experience, and after 12:00 for candidates or interested parties with advanced computing experience.
Portuguese computing community gathers at the 2nd RNCA 2022 Meeting
November 18, 2022
The first face-to-face edition of the RNCA 2022 Meeting took place at LNEC, on November 15. Portuguese and European computing was debated, the challenges that still exist, the milestones already achieved and the next bets. The event was sponsored by Fujitsu.
The event Conversation with Researchers: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud brought together experts from various scientific areas
November 15, 2022
On June 7, researchers awarded with resources on the Google Cloud Platform met for an informal conversation about artificial intelligence. In the two sessions, moderated, respectively, by Luís João (Google PT) and by Prof. Luísa Coheur (IST-UL), the latest scientific advances in the area and the future of artificial intelligence in Portugal and in the world were debated. The Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, and the Vice President for AI at Google, Fernando Pereira, renewed the collaboration between FCT and Google, reinforcing its importance for technological advancement in Portuguese soil. In the photo: Elvira Fortunato (MCTES), Helena Martins (Google PT), Fernando Pereira (Google).
Conversation with Researchers: Artificial Intelligence in the Cloud, November 7, 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 the researchers selected by the Advanced Computing Projects Call: artificial intelligence in the cloud, with the presence of the Minister of Science and Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, and Google's Vice President for Artificial Intelligence, Fernando Pereira.
3rd edition of the Advanced Computing Projects Call: Applications open October 25th
October 25, 2022
The Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through the FCCN unit, opens applications for the 3rd edition of the Advanced Computing Projects 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 2022 Meeting: November 15th in Lisbon, in the small LNEC auditorium
October 25, 2022
The second edition of the RNCA Meeting will take place on November 15 in the small auditorium of the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering in Lisbon. It aims to promote access to national as well as European resources, stimulate cooperation between the operational and competence centers of the network and empower both the scientific and business communities for advanced computing through dialogue and sharing of success stories. Mark your calendar!
IBERGRID2022: the RNCA in the 11th Iberian Conference
October 12, 2022
The 11th Iberian Grid Conference took place from 10 to 13 October at the University of Algarve in Faro. The event was jointly promoted by the FCT, the Ministry of Science of Spain and the European Commission, and featured varied scientific and technological sessions, 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 EuroCC project stand: João Nuno Ferreira, General Coordinator of FCCN-FCT, and João Pagaime, RNCA Manager.
JURES22: RNCA was present at the 16th user conference
20 September 2022
On September 14 and 15 the RNCA participated, as an observer, in the Users Conference of the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES), in Cáceres. With the installation of the supercomputers: Marenostrum 5 in Spain and Deucalion in Portugal and, in the scope of the Iberian Network for Advanced Computing (RCM 60/2021 and Despacho n.º 8459/2022) and common projects EuroHPC, it is opportune to deepen contacts between the two national networks (RNCA and RES) with a view to better exploiting computational resources and continue developing avenues of cooperation between Portugal and Spain in advanced computing. In the photo, from left to right: Oriol Pineda Martinez, João Pagaime, Sergi Girona, Catarina Guerreiro.
EuroCC: RNCA was at the first conference in Montenegro
September 13, 2022
On September 7, 8 and 9 the RNCA participated in the first face-to-face conference of the EuroCC project in Budva, Montenegro. Three days were dedicated to the 33 new centers of competence of the member countries, the results obtained over the two years of the project and the successor project, EuroCC2, which will start next year, 2023. EuroCC aims to close existing gaps in HPC competencies, promoting cooperation and implementation of best practices in member countries and associated participants across Europe.
Professor Marija Vranic wins "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 start of their scientific careers, the "PRACE Ada Lovelace Award" came to Técnico this year for the first time. The winner of the 2022 edition is Professor Marija Vranic, a researcher at the Lasers and Plasmas Group of the Institute of Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion, whose pioneering work on techniques for representing quantum effects in extreme plasmas has not gone unnoticed across borders.
Complete news at: https://tecnico.ulisboa.pt/pt/noticias/campus-e-comunidade/professora-marija-vranic-vence-o-premio-prace-ada-lovelace/
EuroCC: First conference of the project takes place in September
August 23, 2022
The first conference of the EuroCC project takes place on September 7-9 in Montenegro, in the city of Budva. The event will feature internal project sessions and public sessions streamed on the event website. The event will feature interesting panel discussions, news from the National Competence Centers and more. The EuroCC project aims to close existing skills gaps in HPC by promoting cooperation and implementation of best practices in the 33 member countries and associated participants across Europe.
Results of the 1st Google-supported artificial intelligence call: 11 candidate projects approved
August 23, 2022
FCT has published the preliminary results of the Advanced Computing Projects Call: Artificial Intelligence in Cloud 2022. Eleven projects were approved for access to Google Cloud Platform credits, with a total value of 799 364 USD (American dollars), earmarked for this year. The resources in the call result from a collaboration agreement between FCT and Google to support research in Artificial Intelligence in Portugal. Next year it is intended to launch the second edition of this call for projects in artificial intelligence in the cloud and extend 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 20-22, the EGI 2022 conference debates 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's website.
Applied Artificial Intelligence Bootcamp
20 July 2022
The GPU programming bootcamp, organized by EuroCC Portugal, will take place online from September 12 to 13. It is aimed at Portuguese researchers and students who use this tool in HPC and Artificial Intelligence.
RES: 16th User Conference will be in Cáceres, September 14-15 2022
20 July 2022
The Spanish Supercomputing Network - RES is organizing the network's Annual Users Conference to showcase news and provide information of interest about access to its resources and the European HPC ecosystem. This event is a meeting place for sharing knowledge and experiences in the use of HPC that RNCA will not miss.
MUG 2022: RNCA presented its centers and calls to the HPC community
19 July 2022
The RNCA accepted MACC - Minho Advanced Computing Center's invitation and on July 7 and 8 headed to Porto to participate in a MUG session dedicated to RNCA and its HPC users. RNCA congratulates MACC for the excellent organization and for the program full of remarkable speakers that resulted in valuable conversations around the state of the art of HPC in Europe and in the world. The event was attended by the Minister of Science and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, the vice-president of FCT, Francisco Santos, and the executive director of EuroHPC-JU, Anders Dam Jensen, among many others.
Jornadas 2022: We marked our presence on June 2nd in Viseu
19 July 2022
On 2nd June, the Scientific Computing Conference 2022, organized by the FCCN Unit, FCT, included a session entitled Advanced Computing. The various advanced computing services in Portugal and the centers which make up the National Network for Advanced Computing - RNCA - were highlighted. It was with great satisfaction that we gave the stage and voice to all the RNCA's member centers and debated the present and future of advanced computing in Portugal.
IBERGRID 2022: 11th edition will take place at the University of Algarve
23 June 2022
The 11th edition of the IBERGRID Conference will take place at the University of Algarve, Faro, between October 10 and 13. IBERGRID 2022 will focus on topics related to the development, adoption and quality of integration of services, applications and digital twins to support cutting-edge research.
MUG 2022: Porto hosts MACC HPC event
23 June 2022
From July 7 to 8, the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Porto will host MUG 2022, organized by Minho Advanced Computing Centre. The event aims to foster a collaborative environment between potential and current HPC users and the operational team to better serve the scientific community.
Meet the new program "EuroCC MSc Fellows in Advanced Computing" at Instituto Superior Técnico
9 June 2022
On May 19th we went to Instituto Superior Técnico (IST-UL) to attend the presentations by the students of the EuroCC master's degree in Advanced Computing and to get to know 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
19 May 2022
A session on the National Network for Advanced Computing (RNCA) was held on May 17th at the Lisbon Congress Center, where its operational centers and the experience resulting from the Advanced Computing Project Calls (CPCA) were presented.
The RNCA will be present at the Ciencia 2022 Meeting
5 May 2022
The Science 2022 - Meeting with Science and Technology in Portugal will take place from May 16th to 18th 2022, at the Lisbon Congress Center. The RNCA and its Operational Centers will be present at the event.
RNCA will be present at the Jornadas de Computação Científica 2022
5 May 2022
Between May 31 and June 2, the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu will be the meeting point for the community served by the FCCN, FCT Unit during the Scientific Computing Journeys 2022. The RNCA and its Centers will be present at the event.
Artificial Intelligence in Cloud: 1st edition of Project Call
24 March 2022
Starting March 30 and running through May 18, applications are open for the Advanced Computing in Artificial Intelligence Cloud Project Call, which will provide funding of $1 million.
List of Approved Projects for the 2nd edition of Call Advanced Computing released
07 March 2022
The second edition of Call Advanced Computing Projects for typology A2 - Project Access registered 58 applications, with a total number of hours requested 391% higher than the available capacity.
Past events related to Advanced Computing
PRACE DAYS 2022 | 22-24 March 2022
EuroHPC Summit Week 2022, Paris, France | 22-24 March 2022
More info: https://www.etp4hpc.eu/events/eurohpc-summit-week022-paris-france_589.html
Introduction to HPC Programming Environment @MACC | 22 - 24 November 2021
Course limited to 40 participants.
The RNCA 2021 Meeting is the first event organised for the National Network for Advanced Computing(RNCA).
Day 1 - Infrastructure: Advanced Computing in Portugal. What is the RNCA? And Deucalion? Presentation of centres and platforms.
Day 2 - Infrastructure: Training Opportunities in Advanced Computing: National and European Offerings. EuroCC Project.
Day 3 - People: Research & Innovation in the RNCA. Access Calls. Sharing experiences and use cases. Round table between centres and users.
3rd LUMI/EuroHPC JU Systems Roadshow | 8-9 September 2021
@ 9-11:00 (CET), online
Register here
UTAustin UK Webinar #2: Is HPC ready for "Big" Data Storage? | 16 September
@15h, online
Over the second half of 2021 to 2022, the UT Austin Portugal Program and the BigHPC consortium are hosting a webinar series "On the Road to HPC: Major Challenges and New Opportunities" to spark discussion between academia and industry about the challenges around High Performance Computing (HPC) and the major opportunities ahead for both sides.
EventInformation
15th RES users conference | 16 - 17 September 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 | 28 September - 1 October 2021, online
More information here: https://events.prace-ri.eu/event/1226/
PRACE Autumn School - EuroHPC Flagship Supercomputers | 11 - 15 October 2021, Finland
More information here: https://events.prace-ri.eu/event/1188/
UT Austin Portugal 2021 Annual Conference | 20 - 21 October 2021, Porto & online
More information https://conference.utaustinportugal.org/
Supercomputing Conference 2021 | 14 - 19 November 2021, USA
More information: https://sc21.supercomputing.org/program/
EU DATAVIZ'21 | 23 - 24 November 2021
Event page: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eudataviz/home
Webinar | Containerized Application Performance at Petascale | 22 July 2021
@ 15:00 (UTC+1)
Over the second half of 2021 to 2022, the UT Austin Portugal Program and the BigHPC consortium are hosting a webinar series "On the Road to HPC: Major Challenges and New Opportunities" to spark discussion between academia and industry about the challenges around High Performance Computing (HPC) and the major opportunities ahead for both sides.
Supercomputing Frontiers Europe 2021 | 19-23 July 2021, online
More information: https://lnkd.in/eYHjaNx
PRACE Summer of HPC training week | 30 June - 3 July 2021
URL: https: //summerofhpc.prace-ri.eu/
Meeting Science'21 | 28 - 30 June 2021
Links to videos and recordings of the event here https://www.encontrociencia.pt/2021/
MUG: MACC User Group Workshop | 15-18 June 2021
Attend this event, where you can learn more about Deucalion and the MACC.
Registration for this event is available until June 11, 2021.
e-IRG Workshop - e-Infrastructures for Climate Change and Digital Transitions | 25-26 May 2021
The first e-Infrastructure Reflection Group (e-IRG) Workshop 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 | 22-26 March 2021
Signing of Protocols for the creation of Competence Centres in UAveiro, UTAD and UBI | November 2020
Taking into account the goals set out in theAdvanced Computing Portugal 2030 strategy, in November the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) signed cooperation protocols with theUniversity of Aveiro, theUniversity ofTrás-os-Montes e Alto Douroand theBeira do InteriorUniversity for the creation of three Advanced Computing Competence Centres.
The initiative, which runs in parallel with the internal network upgrade of the RTCS 100 project, also foresees the opening of three more centres located at the University of the Algarve, Lisbon and Porto by 2021.
Equipped with state-of-the-art visualisation software and hardware, the centres, which are expected to be installed during the first half of next year, aim to reinforce the capacity of resources, access and national scientific production in terms of advanced digital skills, AI and big data, allowing research groups and companies to come closer together.
Events Advanced Computing Portugal 2030 | 23 October 2020
O Advanced Computing Portugal 2030 took place on 23 October at the Azurém campus of the University of Minho in Guimarães for the presentation of Deucalionthe supercomputer that complements the national strategy for advanced computing, and joins BOBthe supercomputer installed in 2019 at the Minho Advanced Computing Centre (MACC).
Under the motto "Progress achieved and new challenges", the session also highlighted the progress achieved in advanced computing and also the needs of the Portuguese scientific and technological community among the current and potential future users of Minho Advanced Computing Centre (MACC). Read more here
Applied Visualisation Workshop, UTAustin Portugal | 7-8 June 2020
