Inaugural Class Graduates from EU Master Programme in HPC, Shaping the Future of Supercomputing in Europe

After two years of studies combining theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience, the new graduates are now equipped with cutting-edge expertise in High Performance Computing (HPC), preparing them for promising careers in the fast-evolving field of supercomputing. With this advanced skill set, they are now ready to take on roles such as HPC application developers, supercomputer administrators, user support specialists, and data scientists, driving innovation in both academic and industrial settings.

In the first year, students studied core HPC fundamentals, covering topics such as parallel computing, algorithm optimisation, and performance analysis. This knowledge is essential for understanding the complexities of HPC technologies. In the second year, students delved into advanced specialisations, focusing on areas such as system design, deployment, and application of HPC technologies, enabling them to tailor their education to their specific career goals.

By bringing together leading European universities, research centres, top supercomputing centres and industrial partners across Europe, the programme offered students not only theoretical input but also practical experience through workshops, summer schools, challenges and internships. It also immersed them in major European HPC events, fostering a strong professional network within the European HPC community. As part of this, over the past two years, the students attended the EuroHPC Summits in Gothenburg and Antwerp, serving as HPC Student Ambassadors, interacting with various HPC professionals. 

At the core of the EUMaster4HPC programme is the opportunity for students to live and study in different European cities, with the chance to enroll at eight awarding universities across Europe, including those in Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Bulgaria, Switzerland, and Sweden. Students chose one of the eight universities to start the programme and relocated in the second year to another university based on their specialisation.

By addressing students during the ceremony, the EuroHPC JU Executive Director, Anders Jensen, stated: 

The graduation of this first cohort marks a moment of immense pride for the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, and I eagerly look forward to attending many more graduation ceremonies in the years ahead. A world-class supercomputing ecosystem in Europe is impossible without talented, highly skilled professionals like you. You are the future of European supercomputing and our greatest asset!

More details

The application process to recruit the cohort 25/26 is expected to open at the end of October 2024.

The eight awarding universities are:

• University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg),
• Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain), 
• Politecnico di Milano (Italy), 
• Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Germany), 
• Sorbonne Université (France), 
• Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski (Bulgaria), 
• Università della Svizzera Italiana (Switzerland), 
• Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (Sweden);

Eligible students are awarded a “Mobility Scholarship” from the EUMaster4HPC programme to support expenses inherent to the programme and in order to achieve an inclusive and equal programme, the EUMaster4HPC waives University fees for the eligible students.

More details on the entry requirements and study programme are available on this dedicated portal.

The project EUMaster4HPC is a project funded by the EuroHPC JU, under the Horizon 2020 with a total budget of EUR 7 million. The project is part of the EuroHPC JU’s broader strategy to develop a full European supercomputing ecosystem and to widen the use of HPC infrastructures. 

Kicked off in January 2022, the project is coordinated by the University of Luxembourg and composed of European universities, research/supercomputing centres and industrial and SMEs partners. The educational programme of the project officially started in Autumn 2022 with a first cohort of students.

Background 

The EuroHPC JU is a legal and funding entity, created in 2018 and reviewed in 2021 by Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173. This was recently amended in 2024 by means of Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1732, with the mission to:   

• develop, deploy, extend and maintain in the EU a world-leading federated, secure and hyper-connected supercomputing, quantum computing, service and data infrastructure ecosystem;   
• support the development and uptake of demand-oriented and user-driven innovative and competitive supercomputing system based on a supply chain that will ensure components, technologies and knowledge limiting the risk of disruptions and the development of a wide range of applications optimised for these systems;   
• widen the use of that supercomputing infrastructure to a large number of public and private users and support the development of key HPC skills for European science and industry.   
• develop and operate AI Factories located around EuroHPC supercomputing facilities to support the growth of a highly competitive and innovative AI ecosystem in Europe. 

In order to equip Europe with a world-leading supercomputing infrastructure, the EuroHPC JU has already procured nine supercomputers, located across Europe. Three of these EuroHPC supercomputers are now ranked among the world’s top 10 most powerful supercomputers: LUMI in Finland, Leonardo in Italy and MareNostrum 5 in Spain.