On 3 August, the European Commission launched a targeted consultation on the outlines of its new legal and financial instrument, EuroHPC, which aims to boost high-performance computing in Europe. Stakeholders have until 5 September to put forward their positions.
High-performance computing is one of the revised priorities in the single digital strategy. This approach will help provide rapid simulations carried out by constantly developing supercomputers. In its communication, “A Connected Digital Single Market for All”, however, the Commission points out that Europe is lagging behind its Chinese, American and Japanese partners. This fact was confirmed in the most recent Top 500 ranking last June, where the leading EU country, Spain, appeared in 13th position. The communication also points out that, “without world-class high performing installations, Europe will not unable to achieve its goal of becoming a dynamic data economy”. During the Digital Day event organised last March in Rome, seven member states (subsequently joined by two others) signed a declaration supporting the next generation of calculating and data infrastructure. The European Commission intends to adopt a new legal instrument, EuroHPC, in 2018 and apply it in 2019.
The consultation is addressed to the scientific community, centres of excellence, research bodies and industry, as well as the member states and participants in national and European projects involved in high-performance computing. It has a particular focus on current challenges, the added value of co-ordinated Community action and the characteristics of the future EuroHPC initiative. The formula can be consulted at: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/Eurohpc. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)