The OWS project focusing on open web search launches new third-party calls

After Call #1 in March 2023 and the resulting successful onboarding of six third-party partners in November 2023, the OpenWebSearch.EU call for proposals again: Calls #2 and #3 invite researchers, innovators and data centres to submit their applications to participate in the Open Web Search mission and receive funding for their project ideas. The calls have already launched, and applications will be accepted until April 2024.

European HPC community to meet in Antwerp for EuroHPC Summit

The EuroHPC Summit brings together top HPC professionals annually and has been held since 2016. This year, for the second time, the main organizer is the EuroHPC Joint Union. European supercomputing stakeholders, public and private, decision-makers, and our colleagues from IT4Innovations will also be present. Sharing knowledge and innovation connects the HPC community across Europe.

Major software upgrade for Karolina supercomputer

The Karolina supercomputer, located at the IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Centre, was commissioned in the summer of 2021 and has since been used by more than 1,700 users to solve more than 700 projects. A substantial software upgrade is planned to ensure alignment with current tool and application versions. This necessitates a complete shutdown of the Karolina supercomputer, which is scheduled for approximately four weeks starting 8 April.

Newsletter 1/2024

Dear fans of IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center,

We wish you a successful year in 2024 and bring you this year's first newsletter with a summary of the most important news not only from IT4Innovations. The LUMI supercomputer has been fully available to the Czech scientific community for one year. We now have two full-featured cloud environments that are at your disposal. We are constantly working on improving our courses within the National Competence Centre in HPC. Please fill out a questionnaire so we can better understand your needs and ensure the quality of the training. We have announced the results of the 30th Open Access Grant Competition and launched another round of grant competition. We also report on some selected projects from the previous competition.

Read on to ensure you don't miss anything from the world of supercomputing. →

The IT4Innovations Team

Czech scientists participate in developing the ocean's digital twin

The world's ocean covers an area that represents almost 71% of the planet's surface and is home to a wealth of plant and animal species. Although the Czech Republic is a landlocked country with no access to any of the oceans, this does not mean that it cannot contribute to their exploration. Scientists from IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center have joined the DTO-BioFlow project, which will collect previously unavailable or difficult-to-access marine biodiversity data and integrate it into the biodiversity component of the Digital Twin Ocean.

IT4Innovations is a new member of the iRODS Consortium

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.

Superheroes 4 Science: The gateway to supercomputers, AI and quantum computing for all

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.

Harness the power of LUMI: One year already fully available to Czech scientists

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.

Simulator of railway track conditions can help enhance railway safety

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.

Study EUMaster4HPC and open the door to the world of supercomputing

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.

Scientists propose a sustainable way of two-dimensional iron oxide production

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.

Harnessing Technology to Monitor Urban Changes in Conflict Zones

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.