European Processor Initiative Achieves Milestone in Second Stage Completion

The European Processor Initiative (EPI) has successfully completed its second stage, where it collaborated with 27 partners from ten countries to develop a low-power processor for European exascale supercomputers. The project, which started after winning the FPA call from Horizon 2020 in 2017, aimed to achieve European digital sovereignty in high-performance computing.

During the second stage of the project, two processor families were developed: the Arm-based General-Purpose Processor (Rhea GPP) and the European accelerator (EPAC). Rhea1, developed by SiPearl, a company incubated within EPI, was a significant achievement for the project. The Rhea1 processor, which has just completed the tapeout phase, is set to power the first European Exascale supercomputer, JUPITER.

SiPearl’s work on Rhea1 has been extensive, with collaborations with Bull to develop a Rhea1 motherboard for the BullSequana system. The performance team at SiPearl is actively working on benchmarks and performance optimizations, while the software and firmware teams are focusing on software development and integration with open-source code.

Looking beyond Rhea1, SiPearl is working on the development of Athena1, a variant of Rhea1 tailored for defense, government, and aerospace markets. Additionally, the company is planning the development of Rhea2, a chiplet-based solution for the Alice Recoque Supercomputer, and is exploring advanced packaging technology for future product generations.

The EPAC Accelerator, the second processor family developed under EPI, was led by stream leader Filippo Mantovani from Barcelona Super Computing. The project faced challenges in leading heterogeneous teams but found opportunities in converging towards common goals and building real hardware.

Long vectors, an architectural approach adopted by EPAC, have proven to be efficient in scaling performance and optimizing energy efficiency for HPC workloads. The continuity of RISC-V in Europe has been successful, with partners developing silicon-proven IP that will be crucial for future products.

Semidynamics, a company from Barcelona, played a key role in developing RISC-V CPU IP within the EPI project. The collaboration with EPI enabled Semidynamics to validate core designs through silicon prototypes and FPGA-based platforms, contributing to the maturation of their technology and product portfolio.

Semidynamics is currently focusing on developing AI processors and accelerator chips built around their advanced RISC-V architecture. The company recently announced a strategic investment from SK Hynix, a major memory manufacturer, to further strengthen their engineering capabilities and accelerate product development.

Participation in EPI has been instrumental in Semidynamics’ technological evolution and transition towards commercially viable products. The project has enabled the company to collaborate with a diverse set of European partners, understand system-level challenges, and increase visibility within the semiconductor landscape.

In conclusion, the European Processor Initiative has been a significant driver of innovation and collaboration in developing cutting-edge processors for European supercomputers. The project has not only advanced technological capabilities but also fostered partnerships and business growth for companies involved in the consortium.