NEWS

IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center became a member of the iRODS Consortium in 2023, joining such names as BAYER, DDN, Fujifilm and others. The consortium brings together businesses, research organisations, universities, and government agencies from around the world to ensure the sustainability of the iRODS software as a solution for distributed storage, transfer, and management of data. Members cooperate with the consortium to guide further development and innovation, expand its user and developer communities, and provide adequate support and educational resources.

On 6 February we announced the 31st Open Access Grant Competition. Applications for computing time on the Karolina, Barbora, DGX-2, and LUMI systems can be submitted by employees of Czech research organisations until 4 April 2024. Results will be announced in May.

In October 2023, we announced the 30th Open Access Grant Competition, in which applicants from various research organisations applied for almost 2 million node hours.

Bringing the world of supercomputers and all that surrounds them closer to all generations is also the focus of the second edition of the Superheroes 4 Science (S4S) project. This time, the project also focuses on artificial intelligence and quantum computing. S4S is under the coordination of IT4Innovations and has the support of the International Visegrad Fund. Its main mission is the creation of interactive educational materials and the dissemination of awareness of these innovative technologies through popularisation activities.

We have launched two full-featured cloud environments. These are available to users of IT4Innovations computational resources with active projects.

The National Competence Centre for HPC (NCC) prepares courses not only for users of IT4Innovations computational resources.
It is currently preparing a training programme for the coming period. You can help shape it by filling in the questionnaire.
Your feedback is essential.

The LUMI pre-exascale supercomputer has a theoretical peak performance of 580+ PFlop/s and is located in Kajaani, Finland. The supercomputer was made fully operational and accepted in February 2023 and has been fully available to the Czech scientific community for one year. Czech scientists have access to Europe's most powerful supercomputer, LUMI, thanks to IT4Innovations' membership in the eponymous consortium.

Virtualisation of railway conditions and implementation of test rides in a laboratory environment. The software simulator, developed by National Supercomputing Center IT4Innovations, is designed to perform all of this and is a key component for the development of a functional sample of a detection system capable of detecting potential obstacles during the train's operation, thus contributing significantly to safer railway operation.

Discover the world of High-Performance Computing (HPC) and HPC-related technologies through the European Master's programme EUMaster4HPC. Earn two Masters degrees in just two years! The deadline for your application is 15 July. If selected, you'll start studying in the Autumn Semester of 2024 and receive a full scholarship.

At its meeting on 19 December 2023, the Academic Senate of the Technical University of Ostrava approved the transformation of the Laboratory of Big Data Analysis into the Laboratory of Quantum Computing.

Find the latest news, not only from our Supercomputing Center in Ostrava,
in the IT4Innovations Newsletter 8/2023.

Employees of research organisations based in the Czech Republic had until 26 November 2023 to apply for computing time on the accelerated part of the LUMI supercomputer (LUMI-G) in our Special Call on Important Societal Challenges: Access for AI and GPU Accelerated Applications.

Researchers from Palacký University and VSB-TUO have unveiled an environmentally friendly method for the production of hematene, a two-dimensional material derived from the iron ore. Their groundbreaking work, featured in Applied Materials Today, paves the way for sustainable applications in clean energy and environmental technologies, garnering the prestigious cover-page position in the journal.

A study in the conflict-affected city of Mariupol, Ukraine, uses remote sensing data from Sentinel satellites and deep learning to monitor urban change. The study's authors also address the resiliency of their monitoring method with regard to a loss of observations and the Sentinel 1B satellite malfunction.

A significant step towards achieving more efficient and sustainable ammonia production was unveiled by scientists from CEITEC Energy at Brno University of Technology, CATRIN of Palacký University Olomouc, and the IT4Innovations National Supercomputer Center at VSB-TUO. Their findings, published in the esteemed journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, showcase the electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia. The catalyst employed in this process is an activated material based on metal-organic frameworks (MOF). These materials have demonstrated exceptional efficacy in optimizing the energy intensity of several industrially vital reactions. In this specific case, the scientists proved this through a combination of theoretical calculations and experimental validation.

A total of 14,148 HPC professionals and more than 400 exhibitors from around the world attended the 35th International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis held on 12–17 November at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, USA. Its theme was “I am HPC”. “This theme embodies our unwavering commitment to celebrating and championing all facets of High-Performance Computing. This encompasses not only the field itself and its profound contributions to society but, most importantly, the exceptional individuals who drive its progress – whether they are seasoned HPC veterans or enthusiastic newcomers,” said Dorian C. Arnold, SC23 General Chair.

On 11 December, the first EuroHPC User Day will take place in Brussels, organised by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU). Users will be given the opportunity to present their projects, get acquainted with the thematic sessions and learn about the opportunities offered by the EuroHPC JU.

Meet IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center at the International Conference for High-Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC23), 12–17 November 2023 in Denver, CO. For 35 years, the SC conference has been the world's largest gathering of supercomputing professionals.

Applications for computing resources
in the 30th Open Access Grant Competition
are open until 1 December 2023,
and for the Special Call until 26 November 2023.

Users of IT4Innovations' computing systems gathered for the 7th Users' Conference on 30 and 31 October 2023 in Ostrava. The conference drew nearly ninety participants from various corners of the Czech Republic, upholding its reputation as a traditional meeting point for researchers and scientists who rely on Ostrava's supercomputers. The first supercomputer was put into operation at IT4Innovations ten years ago, and this conference symbolizes the constant growth, innovation, and scientific progress in the field of computing.