Revolutionizing Technology: The Integration of HPC, AI, and Quantum Computing at JHC

The Jülich Supercomputing Centre: Pioneering European High-Performance Computing

The Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) is at the forefront of advancing European high-performance computing (HPC) by continuously evolving cutting-edge systems like JUPITER. By integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies, JSC is addressing complex scientific, societal, and industrial challenges.

Evolution of JSC: A Global Powerhouse in HPC

Located at Forschungszentrum Jülich in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Jülich Supercomputing Centre has transformed from a national computational science hub in the 1980s to a global leader in HPC, AI, and emerging quantum technologies. With a strong focus on innovation, collaborations across academia and industry, and a commitment to advancing Europe’s digital sovereignty, JSC is shaping the future of HPC-enabled scientific discovery.

Journey to Excellence: Building Europe’s HPC Future

JSC’s journey began with early adoption of large-scale computing for scientific research, positioning Germany among the pioneers of computational science. Over the years, JSC has fostered an ecosystem that combines national research priorities with European collaborations, academic partnerships, and industrial applications spanning climate science, materials modeling, energy systems, and life sciences.

JUWELS: A Modular Supercomputing Milestone

JUWELS, a modular HPC platform, represents a significant step in JSC’s evolution. With its Booster module combining GPU accelerators with traditional CPU resources, JUWELS supports large-scale simulations for various research areas, including climate research, molecular dynamics, and particle physics. This system bridges classical HPC with the demands of AI-driven computation effectively.

JUPITER: Redefining Scientific Computing in Europe

JUPITER, Europe’s first exascale supercomputer commissioned in 2024, surpasses 1 ExaFLOP/s of sustained performance. This system not only leads as Europe’s fastest supercomputer but also excels in energy efficiency. With its heterogeneous architecture integrating CPU cores and GPU accelerators, JUPITER offers versatility across workloads from traditional simulations to cutting-edge AI research.

The JUPITER AI Factory: Enabling Exascale for All

The JUPITER AI Factory (JAIF) provides a collaborative platform leveraging JUPITER’s exascale capabilities for universities, research institutions, start-ups, SMEs, and industry partners to develop and deploy AI applications. JAIF fosters a vibrant ecosystem connecting scientific discovery with innovation, enhancing Europe’s competitiveness in AI and data-driven research.

Quantum Computing at JSC: Exploring Hybrid Approaches

While HPC remains JSC’s core focus, the center is expanding into quantum technologies with JUNIQ, a multi-platform quantum computing infrastructure. JSC’s addition of a 100-qubit quantum computer named JADE enhances its ability to explore hybrid classical-quantum applications, accelerating scientific discovery in areas like optimization and materials discovery.

Milestones and Global Collaboration

JSC’s influence extends beyond its machines through participation in European and international consortia like the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU). This collaboration ensures access to top resources for German and European researchers while contributing expertise in scalable software frameworks, HPC architectures, and interdisciplinary research.

Connecting HPC, AI, and Quantum for Grand Challenges

JSC’s vision encompasses the integration of HPC, AI, and quantum technologies into a strategic infrastructure ecosystem capable of tackling grand challenges such as climate change, sustainable energy, and public health. By providing hybrid HPC-quantum workflows, shared platforms like the JUPITER AI Factory, and fostering a collaborative community, JSC is paving the way for innovative computational discovery.

For more information, please refer to the official JSC website.