CASTIEL 2

Launched in 2020, CASTIEL is a coordination and support action that has worked closely with EuroCC to develop a European network of National Competence Centers (NCCs) for high-performance computing (HPC). By promoting collaboration and information sharing among NCCs, CASTIEL is helping to address differences in HPC expertise among the participating countries, and to identify synergies that could enhance the development of HPC competences Europe-wide.

In its first phase, CASTIEL led the efforts to compile a European Competence Map in HPC, high-performance data analytics (HPDA), and artificial intelligence (AI). This and other results have been gathered in the EuroCC Access Portal, a central resource for anyone interested in European HPC expertise, codes, training materials & events, and services. CASTIEL also identified gaps in training activities, organizing workshops and other information exchange to determine how NCCs can further develop their training portfolios. Additionally, CASTIEL identified best practices for interacting with industry.

In its second project phase, CASTIEL 2 continues the original project’s mission while also coordinating the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking’s Centres of Excellence in HPC (CoEs). Focused on key HPC user communities, the CoEs are developing essential applications for upcoming, larger exascale supercomputers.

By bringing the NCCs and CoEs together within one project, CASTIEL 2 will promote collaboration that both supports the adoption of best practices in delivering HPC resources and services to academia, industry, and public administration, and ensures that innovations developed in the CoEs are shared in ways that achieve maximum impact across Europe. In this way, CASTIEL 2 is strengthening the European HPC landscape, offering the best possible support to developers and users of these important technologies.