Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EXDCI (European eXtreme Data and Computing Initiative)
Berichtszeitraum: 2016-09-01 bis 2018-02-28
EU has laid foundations for the development of a globally competitive HPC Ecosystem. According to the EC’s policy document ‘High-Performance Computing: Europe’s place in a global race’, Europe is in a position to achieve global leadership.
The three most significant HPC bodies in Europe – PRACE, ETP4HPC and EESI – have come together within EXDCI, ‘European eXtreme Data and Computing Initiative’, to coordinate the strategy of the European HPC Ecosystem in order to achieve two main strategic goals:
• Development of a common European HPC Strategy - EXDCI will support the implementation of a European HPC strategy through the coordination of activities of stakeholders such as the European Technology Platform for HPC (ETP4HPC), PRACE, application owners and users (including emerging HPC applications), the European exascale computing research community, the open source HPC community, and other related activities in other parts of H2020.
• Operating a synchronized European HPC Community – EXDCI will promote joint community structuring and synchronization as well as other non-research activities such as the development of the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for High Performance Computing (including the roadmap for exascale in Europe), the link to the H2020 Societal Challenges, the mapping and analysis of related national and international R&I programs/activities/research agendas in HPC towards exascale, coordination with and participation in relevant international activities, etc. Specific actions for attracting young talent into HPC are also included.
The project will consolidate the direction of the European technological HPC Ecosystem, in which the following objectives will be accomplished:
• Europe will achieve global leadership in both research and industrial areas in the supply, operation and use of HPC systems. This will be possible through roadmapping activities in the area of technology provision (Strategic Research Agenda, SRA) and applications (PRACE Scientific Case), analysing cross-cutting and break-through concepts to support the strategy definition and implementation process, as well as through support activities in the field of International Relations, and Education and Training.
• A process for contributing to the ETP4HPC Strategic Research Agenda by all stakeholders will be put in place and the implementation of the SRA will be monitored. As a separate task, the project will include the publication and update of the SRA (2015 and 2017), involving all stakeholders of the European Technology Value Chain (including technology and infrastructure providers, academic and industrial end-users, and software providers).
• Europe will develop an environment in which competitive technologies for building a wide range of next-generation extreme performance computing systems can be accomplished. The development and implementation of the SRA will result in a globally competitive research programme that will put Europe at the forefront of HPC technology development and secure European leadership in critical areas of this field.
• The European HPC Ecosystem will have processes that will facilitate structuring the efforts of stakeholders for implementing the European HPC strategy. The roadmapping, performance monitoring, and ‘think-tank’ activities of the project will be a structure in which all stakeholders will work together towards the agreed objectives.
• Cooperation in international endeavours on HPC software and systems towards exascale will be reinforced. As a separate task, this project will develop international relations with a focus on achieving exascale capabilities in synergy with other regions.
The three most significant HPC bodies in Europe – PRACE, ETP4HPC and EESI – have come together within EXDCI, ‘European eXtreme Data and Computing Initiative’, to coordinate the strategy of the European HPC Ecosystem in order to achieve two main strategic goals:
• Development of a common European HPC Strategy - EXDCI will support the implementation of a European HPC strategy through the coordination of activities of stakeholders such as the European Technology Platform for HPC (ETP4HPC), PRACE, application owners and users (including emerging HPC applications), the European exascale computing research community, the open source HPC community, and other related activities in other parts of H2020.
• Operating a synchronized European HPC Community – EXDCI will promote joint community structuring and synchronization as well as other non-research activities such as the development of the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for High Performance Computing (including the roadmap for exascale in Europe), the link to the H2020 Societal Challenges, the mapping and analysis of related national and international R&I programs/activities/research agendas in HPC towards exascale, coordination with and participation in relevant international activities, etc. Specific actions for attracting young talent into HPC are also included.
The project will consolidate the direction of the European technological HPC Ecosystem, in which the following objectives will be accomplished:
• Europe will achieve global leadership in both research and industrial areas in the supply, operation and use of HPC systems. This will be possible through roadmapping activities in the area of technology provision (Strategic Research Agenda, SRA) and applications (PRACE Scientific Case), analysing cross-cutting and break-through concepts to support the strategy definition and implementation process, as well as through support activities in the field of International Relations, and Education and Training.
• A process for contributing to the ETP4HPC Strategic Research Agenda by all stakeholders will be put in place and the implementation of the SRA will be monitored. As a separate task, the project will include the publication and update of the SRA (2015 and 2017), involving all stakeholders of the European Technology Value Chain (including technology and infrastructure providers, academic and industrial end-users, and software providers).
• Europe will develop an environment in which competitive technologies for building a wide range of next-generation extreme performance computing systems can be accomplished. The development and implementation of the SRA will result in a globally competitive research programme that will put Europe at the forefront of HPC technology development and secure European leadership in critical areas of this field.
• The European HPC Ecosystem will have processes that will facilitate structuring the efforts of stakeholders for implementing the European HPC strategy. The roadmapping, performance monitoring, and ‘think-tank’ activities of the project will be a structure in which all stakeholders will work together towards the agreed objectives.
• Cooperation in international endeavours on HPC software and systems towards exascale will be reinforced. As a separate task, this project will develop international relations with a focus on achieving exascale capabilities in synergy with other regions.
For this first period, the main project activities were to set up the organization and coordination tools needed to reach the goals of EXDCI.
1. Update of the Strategic Research Agenda with its associated call for comments: The first update of the SRA – European Technology Multi-annual Roadmap Towards Exascale – was produced
2. Creation of the teams to work on the Scientific Case
3. Coordination with EuroLab4HPC
4. Elaboration of a strategy to address disruptive technologies
5. Planning of a set of technical events
6. Initialization of communication with CoEs and FET HPC projects
7. Production of the first material to promote HPC careers
8. Renewed international coordination with US and Japan HPC communities
9. Elaboration of a first set of KPIs. WP7 worked on a consolidated global vision leveraging both contributions, aligned with the preparation of the 2015 HPC cPPP annual report
10. Elaboration of a dissemination plan (WP8). This included press release, branding material, website setup, and the organization of the European HPC Summit Week.
For the second period, the main project activities were the continuation and completion of the previosly established tasks and activities needed to reach the goals of EXDCI
1. Draft of the next Work Programme in the area of HPC, covering the period from 2018 to 2020. (WP18-20 - the third phase of Horizon 2020)
2. Organisation of two EXDCI Technical Workshops, 21-22 September 2016 in Barcelona. This provided a good opportunity to have productive discussions with BDVA ETP and EuroLabHPC
4. Coordination of experts from several disciplines in the roadmaps, interaction with WP2, WP3 and WP4, and with the PRACE Scientific Steering Committee to produce a new version of the PRACE Scientific Case
5. The report “Pathways to Convergence” summarizes the BDEC community’s effort and proposes strategies to build next generation of systems
7. Participation of EXDCI members in different international events
8. Organisation and participation to the BDEC
9. Organisation of two major events
10. Workplan on SME and start-ups
11. Launch of the Jobs Portal and Training Portal
1. Update of the Strategic Research Agenda with its associated call for comments: The first update of the SRA – European Technology Multi-annual Roadmap Towards Exascale – was produced
2. Creation of the teams to work on the Scientific Case
3. Coordination with EuroLab4HPC
4. Elaboration of a strategy to address disruptive technologies
5. Planning of a set of technical events
6. Initialization of communication with CoEs and FET HPC projects
7. Production of the first material to promote HPC careers
8. Renewed international coordination with US and Japan HPC communities
9. Elaboration of a first set of KPIs. WP7 worked on a consolidated global vision leveraging both contributions, aligned with the preparation of the 2015 HPC cPPP annual report
10. Elaboration of a dissemination plan (WP8). This included press release, branding material, website setup, and the organization of the European HPC Summit Week.
For the second period, the main project activities were the continuation and completion of the previosly established tasks and activities needed to reach the goals of EXDCI
1. Draft of the next Work Programme in the area of HPC, covering the period from 2018 to 2020. (WP18-20 - the third phase of Horizon 2020)
2. Organisation of two EXDCI Technical Workshops, 21-22 September 2016 in Barcelona. This provided a good opportunity to have productive discussions with BDVA ETP and EuroLabHPC
4. Coordination of experts from several disciplines in the roadmaps, interaction with WP2, WP3 and WP4, and with the PRACE Scientific Steering Committee to produce a new version of the PRACE Scientific Case
5. The report “Pathways to Convergence” summarizes the BDEC community’s effort and proposes strategies to build next generation of systems
7. Participation of EXDCI members in different international events
8. Organisation and participation to the BDEC
9. Organisation of two major events
10. Workplan on SME and start-ups
11. Launch of the Jobs Portal and Training Portal
The following activities carried out in period 1 showed how progress was make towards the coordination of the ecosystem:
1. Update of the Strategic Research Agenda;
2. Coordination with EuroLab4HPC;
3. Communication initialized with CoEs and FET HPC projects;
4. Renewed international coordination with US and Japan HPC communities;
5. First material to promote HPC careers produced;
6. Elaboration of a first set of KPIs.
For the second period, results were achieved in the following areas:
1. Definition of the Extreme scale Demonstrator call for proposal strategy;
2. With the BDEC community (EU, USA, Asia) the final report on “pathways to convergence” has been produced to advance the state of the art on potential strategies to build next generation of system;
3. A vision addressing the “paradigm shift” driven by the data and computing convergence and bringing many opportunities has been elaborated. Dissemination of EXDCI / FETHPC / CoE outcomes at Supercomputing 2016 and 2017; International Super Computing 2017 and the EXDCI Final Conference
4. Building a cooperation with BDVA (Big Data Value Association);
5. Continuing effort on SMEs and Startups.
1. Update of the Strategic Research Agenda;
2. Coordination with EuroLab4HPC;
3. Communication initialized with CoEs and FET HPC projects;
4. Renewed international coordination with US and Japan HPC communities;
5. First material to promote HPC careers produced;
6. Elaboration of a first set of KPIs.
For the second period, results were achieved in the following areas:
1. Definition of the Extreme scale Demonstrator call for proposal strategy;
2. With the BDEC community (EU, USA, Asia) the final report on “pathways to convergence” has been produced to advance the state of the art on potential strategies to build next generation of system;
3. A vision addressing the “paradigm shift” driven by the data and computing convergence and bringing many opportunities has been elaborated. Dissemination of EXDCI / FETHPC / CoE outcomes at Supercomputing 2016 and 2017; International Super Computing 2017 and the EXDCI Final Conference
4. Building a cooperation with BDVA (Big Data Value Association);
5. Continuing effort on SMEs and Startups.