Mastering the science of high performance computing
“Students will graduate from the programme equipped with the skills and confidence they need to drive Europe’s digital transformation.”
HPC is a key component in Europe’s digital transformation. “HPC is a rapidly growing field of research and development that has a strong potential for driving economic growth,” says Pascal Bouvry, a professor at the University of Luxembourg. However, leveraging HPC’s full potential first requires the availability of a highly skilled workforce. “Without professionals educated in HPC and such related fields as data science and artificial intelligence, Europe risks missing this unique opportunity to advance its Digital Single Market,” adds Bouvry. While basic computer science and programming languages are included in many university curricula, these skills fail to meet the demands of the rapidly developing HPC technology ecosystem. That’s why, with the support of the EU-funded EUMaster4HPC project, the University of Luxembourg is coordinating an effort to develop a European Master of Science (MSc) in HPC. “Our goal is to gather all the expertise and knowledge that currently exist across European universities, research centres, industry, businesses, public administrations and SMEs and consolidate this into a single, pan-European graduate-level programme,” explains Bouvry, who serves as project coordinator. The 2-year Master’s programme will start with a focus on HPC fundamentals before transitioning to specialisations during the second year of study. The programme will also include a mentorship initiative and an internship at a European HPC centre, research laboratory or company. To complete the degree, students will be required to write a thesis and defend it in front of a jury of experts. “Students will graduate from the programme equipped with the skills and confidence they need to lead the adoption of HPC technologies and drive Europe’s digital transformation,” adds Bouvry. The new MSc programme will be rolled out and piloted across several leading European universities. While some pilots will use existing programmes and courses in HPC, others will use new material prepared by the project. Based on these pilots, the project plans to create a coordinated, systemic approach to HPC training that they will make available for use by other universities.
Keywords
EUMaster4HPC, HPC, High Performance Computing, Supercomputer, technologies, digital sovereignty, quantum computing, innovation, green computing, energy-efficient, skills, SMEs