High-Performance Computing at ICTP

From simulating molecular interactions to calculating climate forecasts, supercomputers are becoming an increasingly important tool for scientists seeking to solve complex scientific computational problems.

The results of these supercomputing exercises are being used in important, practical ways, from the development of improved solar energy cells to input into international agreements such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate assessment reports.

Trieste, home to more than 30 national and international research centres, will soon launch one of the largest computing centres in Italy, thanks to a joint venture by ICTP and the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA).

The new facility will be inaugurated at a public event on 24 September in the former SISSA building next to ICTP. The opening will also mark the official start of ICTP and SISSA's new joint master's programme in high-performance computing (MHPC).

The inauguration will include a tour of the brand-new  data centre, as well as lectures by scientists on the importance of high-performance scientific computing in their fields. The event programme is here (in Italian).

For ICTP, the new facility expands opportunities not only for its staff researchers but also for the thousands of scientists from developing countries doing collaborative research with the Centre. "These scientists will be able to enhance their experiences and capabilities, thereby closing the gap that still separates their countries from the advanced ones," says ICTP Director Fernando Quevedo.

ICTP and SISSA's new master's programme in high-Performance computing complements the deployment of the new facility by training students to master the state-of-the-art equipment. Set in the stimulating research environment of the two institutes, the programme will combine lectures with hands-on and applied projects to prepare future specialists in high-performance computing for academia and industry. More details can be found here.

The initial class of 15 students--selected from more than 160 applicants--will include three students from developing countries whose studies are fully supported by ICTP.