Recent PRACE Developments within the HPC Ecosystem
Lilit Axner, PDC
PRACE-6IP
On the 28th and 29th of May 2019 in Bratislava PRACE 6IP started with a kick-off. All 26 member countries gathered to discuss the work plan, opportunities and ambitions for the coming two years. As was mentioned in our previous newsletters, there are two major changes that will happen within 6IP.
1. The DECI optional program is being reorganized and merged even more closely within PRACE.
2. A new work package within PRACE-6IP is dedicated to so-called “Forward-looking Software Solutions Projects”, where ten software projects will be selected to be worked on.
For this second change, PRACE launched an internal call for applications in order to select a list of software to work on. As a result of the first call, 34 letters of intent were received, for which 15 proposals were later submitted.
The submission and review process was conducted according to the timeline agreed on in the written consultation between the partners. In particular, the platform for proposal submissions opened on the 30th of May 2018 and closed on the 30th of August (with the first submission being received on the 28th of August), proposals were sent for review from the 13th of September onwards, and the review deadline was extended to the 1st of November. The Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) ranking meeting was held on the 15th of November, which was then followed by the management board meeting for the funding decision on the 11th of December 2018. After the deliberations, eight proposals were accepted to be developed as forward-looking software solutions.
Currently, the second internal call for applications is open with the intention being to accept from two to four applications.
PRACE and EuroHPC
Another interesting activity involving PRACE has been the development of the European HPC Ecosystem that was initiated by PRACE and its 26 partners over the last ten years. As you know, PRACE is supported by the PRACE member states and through the EU by a series of implementation projects, and thus PRACE can weave a common European umbrella over national HPC ecosystems. PRACE has become a trusted liaison between HPC-infrastructures and European HPC users, involving highly rated advisory committees with members from the academic and industrial sectors.
PRACE and EuroHPC have missions that are almost complementary. While EuroHPC acts as a high-level financing agency and must essentially be a top-down activity, PRACE is a science-driven infrastructure developed as a bottom-up activity. Joining both of these together in a strong partnership will create the best possible synergies for the benefit of European research communities. More information about these developments can be found at www.prace-ri.eu/postitionpaper-eurohpc-prace-2019 .
Third Edition of the PRACE Scientific Case for Computing in Europe 2018–2026
The third edition of the PRACE Scientific Case for Computing in Europe for 2018-2026 continues a tradition established by the HPC in Europe Taskforce (HET) at the beginning of the PRACE project and supports the vision that the PRACE infrastructure will enable high-impact scientific discovery and engineering research and development across all disciplines in Europe. It provides a clear overview of the achievements of computational science across various domains. While producing this document, the PRACE Council received recommendations from the PRACE SSC which were analysed and taken into account to further fulfil PRACE’s mission. You can find a description of this and the scientific case in the complete document which is available at www.prace-ri.eu/third-scientific-case .