EuroCC 2 a significant project supported by the The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking manages a European network of National Competence Centers (NCC) for high-performance computing and related technologies, promoting a common level of expertise across the participating countries.

EuroCC, initiated in September 2020, aimed to create a network of National Competence Centers (NCCs) specializing in HPC technologies and services. Its scope extended beyond traditional high-performance computing to encompass related fields like artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance data analytics (HPDA). The first phase of the project and its associated coordination and support tool, CASTIEL, was completed in December 2022.

In its current phase, EuroCC 2 manages the ongoing progress of NCCs across 33 nations. The project involves 123 participants and is a continuation of the EuroCC project, which aims to strengthen the European high-performance computing (HPC) ecosystem. EuroCC 2 focuses on establishing National Competence Centres (NCCs) across Europe to provide support and expertise in HPC to various stakeholders including industry, academia, and public sector organizations. These centres aim to enhance the competitiveness and innovation capacity of European industries by facilitating access to state-of-the-art HPC resources, fostering skills development, and promoting collaboration and knowledge exchange in the HPC domain.

Each of the consortia includes, either as a lead partner or as affiliated institutions, the  country’s experts, who can together form/continue the construction of the NCCs and have access to other national activities and actors to expand the NCC portfolio and cover the needs of the different user groups.

Facilitate access to the HPC ecosystem including testbeds, hands-on sessions on HPC, HPC application optimising and scaling by connecting national communities with other initiatives such as the European Centres of Excellence for HPC applications.

Promote HPC application uptake among various users, such as SMEs, academia, and public administrations, by showcasing relevant success stories.

Offer scientific and technical expertise in HPC and HPDA (High Performance Data Analytics (HPDA) along with access to advanced simulation algorithms and tools.

Contribute with the expertise to the development activities of SMEs and the public services to enable their efficient use of HPC resources (e.g., software porting and customization, deployment of advanced simulation and modelling algorithms, methods, and tools etc.)

Provide on-site evaluations of new technologies, experimenting, proofs of concept as well as enable validation and demonstration of HPC technologies, software codes, tools, and algorithms in relevant environments.

Enable access to supercomputing and data management for exploring innovative solutions, especially for SMEs.

Provide local and national training in HPC and related topics through both face-to-face and online sessions.

Raise awareness among potential user industries, including SMEs, about the benefits of HPC.

Assist in identifying and protecting intellectual property related to HPC, and offer advice on licensing policies in collaboration with the pan-European network of NCCs.

Implement technology transfer activities at  local/national level and the Digital Single Market.