Advanced computing

Advanced computing, also known as high-performance computing (HPC), refers to the use of supercomputers, or computer clusters functioning as a supercomputer, to undertake very large-scale projects.

Given their size and complexity, HPC systems are expensive to create and maintain. It is for this reason that the European Union (EU) has created the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking – a body that brings together resources from the EU, participating countries and private partners – to strengthen Europe’s position as a leading HPC power, and makes these resources available to European researchers, industry and smaller businesses. The EU is currently planning to invest a further €7 billion in HPC systems between now and 2033.

HPC plays a central role in the European Commission’s vision for Europe’s digital transformation by 2030. HPC can be used in a large number of application areas: from monitoring and mitigating the effects of climate change and producing safer and greener vehicles to increasing cybersecurity and advancing the frontiers of knowledge in most scientific fields.