I M A G E B Y S A S H K I N

scientists reap the full benefit of data-driven science.

However, today the European Union (EU) is not investing enough in HPC infrastructures and technologies to match its economic and knowledge potential, showing an annual funding gap of more than €500 million compared with the U.S. and China.

Europe needs an integrated lead-
ing-class HPC and data infrastruc-
ture with exascale computing perfor-
mance that can compete worldwide.
This infrastructure is absolutely nec-
essary to ensure data produced in
Europe by academia, industry, and
SMEs is processed with its own su-
lecular chemistry, agri-food and preci-
sion agriculture, and developing and
managing renewable and clean en-
ergies). In all these areas, HPC helps
reinforce industrial innovation capa-
bilities, particularly in small and me-
dium-size enterprises (SMEs).

HPC is also becoming a key tool
for public decision making in an in-
creasing number of areas (such as in
cybersecurity and defense, including
developing efficient encryption tech-
nologies, and understanding and re-
sponding to cyberattacks and cyber-
wars, in nuclear simulations, in the
fight against terrorism and crime, and
in understanding and managing natu-
ral hazards and biological risks, in-
cluding earthquakes, flooding, failure
of dams or power plants, and health
pandemics).

HPC in Europe

In combination with artificial intelligence, HPC is set to become the engine to power the new global digital economy, where to out-compute is to out-compete. In this context, European supercomputing infrastructures represent a strategic resource for understanding and responding to the increasing challenges European citizens will face in the years to come, as well as for the future of European industry, SMEs, and the creation of new jobs. They are also key to ensuring European