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

The Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC): Leading the Way in European High-Performance Computing

The Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) is at the forefront of advancing high-performance computing in Europe, utilizing cutting-edge systems like JUPITER and incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies to address complex scientific, societal, and industrial challenges.

Located in Jülich, North Rhine-Westphalia, the JSC has evolved from a national computational science hub in the 1980s to a global powerhouse of high-performance computing, AI, and emerging quantum technologies. With a strong emphasis on innovation, extensive collaborations with academia and industry, and a commitment to enhancing Europe’s digital sovereignty, JSC is shaping the future of HPC-enabled scientific discovery.

Pioneering Europe’s High-Performance Computing Future

The journey of JSC began with early adoption of large-scale computing for scientific research, positioning Germany as a pioneer in computational science. Over the years, JSC has cultivated an ecosystem that combines national research priorities with European collaborations, academic partnerships, and industrial applications spanning various fields such as climate science, materials modeling, energy systems, and life sciences.

An integral part of JSC’s strategy has been its proactive approach to anticipating and adapting to significant shifts in computational science. Even before the widespread adoption of AI, JSC’s systems, designed for massive parallelism and cutting-edge hardware, facilitated large-scale machine learning research and data-intensive simulations, fostering a culture of innovation that bridged the gap between HPC and AI requirements.

JUWELS: Revolutionizing Modular Supercomputing

A significant milestone in this evolution was the development of the JUWELS supercomputer. Built as a modular HPC platform, JUWELS set benchmarks for performance, flexibility, and efficiency, establishing itself as one of Europe’s top HPC systems. The inclusion of the Booster module, which combined GPU accelerators with traditional CPU resources, enabled highly scalable simulations for climate research, molecular dynamics, and particle physics, among other applications. JUWELS was among the first systems in Europe to effectively support large-scale AI-augmented workflows, serving as a bridge between traditional HPC and the evolving demands of AI-driven computation.

JUPITER: Europe’s First Exascale Supercomputer

At the core of JSC’s current strategy is JUPITER, Europe’s inaugural exascale supercomputer, reshaping scientific computing across the continent. Launched in 2024 and officially inaugurated in 2025, JUPITER surpasses 1 ExaFLOP/s of sustained performance, making it not only Europe’s fastest supercomputer but also one of the most energy-efficient in its class. With a heterogeneous architecture featuring superchips that tightly integrate CPU cores with GPU accelerators, JUPITER offers incredible versatility across workloads, from traditional simulations to cutting-edge AI research.

According to Professor Dr. Dr. Thomas Lippert, one of the directors of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre, “With JUPITER, we have achieved a significant milestone in computing history. What truly matters is the new era it enables, where high-performance computing serves as an agile platform for scientific and AI innovation, empowering researchers to tackle previously unattainable questions.”

JUPITER’s fusion of power, scalability, and adaptability positions it as a key driver for next-generation science, advancing fields like climate modeling, materials design, and biomedical research.

The JUPITER AI Factory: Enabling Exascale for All

One of JSC’s strategic innovations is the JUPITER AI Factory (JAIF), an infrastructure layer leveraging JUPITER’s exascale capabilities for widespread accessibility. JAIF provides a collaborative platform for universities, research institutions, start-ups, SMEs, and industry partners to develop, scale, and deploy AI applications.

This initiative reflects JSC’s commitment to open and collaborative HPC practices. Through JAIF, users can experiment with training and optimizing large AI models, conduct data-intensive analytics, and integrate exascale computing into research and industrial workflows. By offering training and community support, JAIF fosters a vibrant ecosystem connecting scientific discovery with practical innovation, bolstering Europe’s competitiveness in AI and data-driven research.

Quantum Computing at JSC: JUNIQ and Hybrid Computing

While HPC remains JSC’s primary focus, the center is actively venturing into quantum technologies. Central to this endeavor is JUNIQ, a multi-platform quantum computing infrastructure that amalgamates diverse hardware and software tools, along with user support for scientific and industrial applications.

In late 2024, JSC introduced a 100-qubit quantum computer from Pasqal, now known as JADE, to its quantum portfolio, marking a significant milestone for JUNIQ and hybrid classical quantum exploration. This system, officially launched in 2025, enhances JSC’s capability to explore hybrid HPC quantum applications that could accelerate specific problem-solving areas like optimization and materials discovery.

Professor Dr. Kristel Michielsen, Director of JSC and Head of JUNIQ, emphasized, “Quantum computing at JSC is not a standalone pursuit. We are exploring how it complements HPC. JUNIQ and systems like JADE allow us to experiment with hybrid approaches that can significantly expedite scientific discovery and unlock new computational pathways.”

By integrating quantum systems with exascale infrastructure, JSC offers researchers a continuum of computing paradigms—classical, AI-enhanced, and quantum—within a unified platform.

Milestones and Global Collaboration

JSC’s impact extends beyond its own machines, with active involvement in European and international consortia, including the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU). This ensures that German and European researchers have access to world-class resources while contributing expertise in scalable software frameworks, HPC architectures, and interdisciplinary research. Through these collaborations, JSC plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of computational science for Europe and the world.

Integrating HPC, AI, and Quantum to Address Grand Challenges

As computational science progresses, JSC’s mission remains ambitious and forward-thinking. The seamless integration of HPC, AI, and quantum technologies represents not just a technological frontier but a strategic one—an infrastructure ecosystem capable of tackling grand challenges like climate change, sustainable energy, advanced materials, public health, and beyond.

JSC’s vision extends beyond individual systems to integrated computational ecosystems, including hybrid HPC-quantum workflows, collaborative platforms like the JUPITER AI Factory, and a cross-sector community that fosters collaboration across borders and disciplines. At the core of this vision is HPC, with exascale computing exemplified by Europe’s first exascale supercomputer, JUPITER, driving scientific advancements at scale, accelerating innovation, and exploring new horizons in computational discovery. By promoting initiatives that bring together quantum resources and classical supercomputing, researchers can explore hybrid approaches to address complex challenges and expand the realm of computational science, aligning with JSC’s original mission.

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