HPC 2015-16 | European update


supply networks, transportation (for example, truck and flight scheduling), and defence applications all use HPC-based simulation. Te convergence of HPC, big data and


cloud will allow new applications and services to emerge. New access and delivery methods will allow the ‘democratisation of HPC’. For example, if HPC resources and simulation and soſtware analytics tools can be made available over the cloud, this will enable SMEs that do not have in-house capabilities to produce better products and services. On the other hand, an open science cloud could harness huge computing capabilities and a wealth of open raw data and information through a cloud-based HPC and data e-infrastructure for researchers. Te intertwining of HPC with a growing


number of industrial applications and scientific domains makes it a key inter- disciplinary tool, as computational aspects are increasingly integrated in training, skill development, and education curricula in many different areas such as bio-chemistry, pharmacology, engineering, entertainment, and finance. Tese developments are reflected in one


of the European Commission’s priorities: the Digital Single Market (DSM) strategy3


. In a


nutshell, the DSM means better online access to digital goods and services, leading to an environment where digital networks and services can prosper and drive growth, thus ensuring that Europe’s economy, industry, and employment take full advantage of a global digital economy. Te DSM aims to get the EU’s single market fit for the digital age – tearing down regulatory walls and moving from 28 national markets to a single one. Tis could contribute as much as €415 billion a year to our economy and create 3.8 million jobs. HPC has a key role to play in the DSM, as a critical tool for better decision-making and innovation in science, industry, and society. Mastering HPC technologies is therefore


vital for Europe’s ability to innovate. Te case can be made from several perspectives, including industrial competitiveness, scientific leadership, and societal challenges.


Industrial competitiveness and the digital economy Industrial output accounted for 25.2 per cent of the European Union’s GDP in 20134


. Industrial sectors that


leverage HPC could add 2-3 per cent to Europe’s GDP in 2020 by improving their


products and services. In this way, HPC and big data will drive major advances and innovation. Europe is a leader in the use of HPC-


powered applications and HPC users in Europe include the most profitable and vibrant industrial sectors. European manufacturing industry contributes €6,500 billion to GDP and employs 30 million people; the oil and gas sector represents €440 billion in GDP and 170,000 jobs; the pharmaceutical industry is even larger, generating €800 billion of GDP with a 40 per cent worldwide market share; while medicine represents €1,000 billion of


“Te digital single market could contribute as much as €415 billion a year to our economy”


public spending. European HPC investments produce excellent returns on investment (ROI): for projects that generated financial returns, each euro invested in HPC returned on average €867 in increased revenue/income and €69 in profits6


. HPC and big data enable traditional


computationally intensive sectors to move up into higher-value products and services, such as smart manufacturing/Industry 4.07


. HPC


allows manufacturing to become more efficient and more adaptable in meeting specific customer needs, and to handle the increasing complexity of decentralised, networked intelligence of the new industrial facilities. In addition, data, modelling and simulation


pave the way for new science, business, and applications that we can imagine, but that are far from being realised today: personalised medical diagnosis and treatment; cosmetics; food security; sustainable agriculture; bio- economy; and accurate global climate models, all of which will bring enormous social and economic benefits.


.


Independent studies have firmly established the link between HPC and industrial competitiveness5


Scientific leadership Over the past 20 years, the computational capability of the world’s fastest computers has increased by a factor of more than a million, triggering a revolution in the way science is carried out. All scientific disciplines today are becoming ‘computational’; for example, the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry8


was awarded


for the development of complex computer models that could apply quantum and classical calculations to different parts of a single molecule.


Scientific computing is oſten called the


‘third pillar of science’, next to theoretical analysis and experiment. Te new data- driven science means that researchers need easy access to a wealth of data and computing resources and this is one of the goals of the future European Science Cloud. Scientific advances require an increasing computing power. For example, the Human Brain Project (HBP)9


is pushing the boundaries of


supercomputing and big data with advanced hardware, soſtware, data infrastructure, and sophisticated computational models reaching exascale capabilities in order to run cellular brain model simulations up to the size of a full human brain. HPC simulation has also become a very important alternative to experimentation and testing; the social and economic costs of experimental (‘live’) science and engineering research on animals have risen sharply in the past decade.


Societal challenges In modern societies, citizens expect sustained improvements in their everyday life. At the same time, the world is confronted with an increasing number of complex challenges at the local, urban and rural level, as well as on a planetary scale. For example, from 1970 through to 2012, severe weather cost 149,959 lives and €270 billion in economic damage in Europe10


to these challenges and transforming them into innovation. New applications are emerging thanks to HPC in areas such as: l Health, demographic change, and wellbeing: discovering new drugs and customising therapies to the specific needs of a patient.


l Secure, clean, and efficient energy: developing fusion energy, designing high-performance photovoltaic materials, or optimising turbines for electricity production.


l Smart, green, and integrated transport: the control of large transport infrastructure in smart cities; real time analysis of huge amounts of data in order to provide multivariable decision/data analytics support on your mobile or in your car.


l Climate: HPC underpins climate study and prediction, as well as safety in the extraction of fossil fuels.


l Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine research, and the bio-economy: optimising the production of food and analysing sustainability factors (such as weather forecast, plagues and diseases control.)


5


. HPC is a critical tool for responding


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