Ireland is finally getting a new supercomputer with capacity to process vast amounts of data, an essential tool for those wishing to be at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence innovation. <\/p>\n
The national high-performance computing system, CASPIr, will be operated by the University of Galway\u2019s<\/a> Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC). <\/p>\n This follows a hosting agreement signed between the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) \u2013 a public-private partnership seeking to make the EU a world leader in supercomputing -and the University of Galway, where CASPIr, \u201ca new world-class mid-range EuroHPC supercomputer\u201d, will be located.<\/p>\n Separately, follows a collaboration agreement between the Government and the European Commission<\/a> an \u201cAI factory antenna\u201d is to be established in Ireland \u2013 AIF IRL-Antenna \u2013 that will serve will serve as a central hub for connecting and supporting Ireland\u2019s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. <\/p>\n EuroHPC JU has selected 13 AI factory antennas to complement existing AI factories in the EU. This step will strengthen national AI ecosystems and extend access to AI-optimised supercomputing resources across Europe.<\/p>\n A joint investment of \u20ac10 million to enable Ireland join AI Factory Antenna which will link directly to leading AI factories in France and Luxembourg. The supercomputer will be funded separately and will cost a multiple of this.<\/p>\n The new supercomputer will replace Kay, which began operations in 2018 and enabled Ireland to participate with big global players in high-performance computing (HPC) and at the cutting edge of quantum computing \u2013 the Holy Grail of IT \u2013 and the rapidly emerging fields of artificial intelligence<\/a> and \u201cdeep learning\u201d. <\/p>\n But Kay had to be decommissioned in November 2023 when its warranty ran out. The new, more powerful version is due to be operational from 2027. It will be able to perform more than 15 \u201cpetaflops\u201d \u2013 or 15 million billion operations \u2013 every second. <\/p>\n Four key research themes have been identified following go-live: environment and climate<\/a>; genomics (mapping of genes); work on tiny particles known as nano-materials; and mobility with cities. <\/p>\n It will be available to researchers and innovators across Ireland and Europe with significantly enhanced capacity to address major challenges and opportunities under the science and society heading. <\/p>\n CASPIr will be co-funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science<\/a> and EuroHPC JU. <\/p>\n