High-performance computing (HPC) is rapidly evolving and becoming a key technology in an increasing number of scientific disciplines, while simultaneously enhancing operations and research across various companies. The Croatian HPC Competence Center (HR HPC CC) was established to facilitate easier and faster access to innovative HPC solutions for the scientific, research, and business communities in Croatia.
The University Computing Center of University of Zagreb (SRCE), as the coordinator of NCC Croatia, in collaboration with its partners, is announcing the second edition of the Croatian HPC Competence Centre Day, which will take place on November 12-13, 2024, at SRCE's premises located at J. Marohnića 5, Zagreb.
The two-day event program offers participants the opportunity to engage in practical workshops, learn about new trends and the application possibilities of HPC technologies in various sectors, and network with key stakeholders from the HPC, HPDA, and AI fields.
On Tuesday, November 12, the focus will be on workshops that will provide participants with practical knowledge and experience in the use of HPC and quantum technologies:
- Workshop "Modeling of (nano)materials with Quantum ESPRESSO" Center of Excellence "Materials design at the eXascale - Max," Italy/Slovenia (workshop in English)
- Workshop "Introduction to Quantum Computing" French Competence Centre CC-FR and University of Reims ROMEO Computer Center, France (workshop in English)
- Workshop "HPC Services for Entrepreneurs" EDIH CROBOHUB++, Emir Imamagić and Marko Hrženjak, SRCE (workshop in Croatian).
| Location: SRCE, J. Marohnića 5, Zagreb | Classroom B | Hall E | Multimedia hall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop time and title |
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Workshop: "Modeling of (nano)materials with Quantum ESPRESSO," MaX CoE, English |
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM Workshop: "Introduction to Quantum Computing," French Competence Centre CC-FR and University of Reims ROMEO Computer Center, France, English |
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM HPC Services for Entrepreneurs, EDIH CROBOHUB++ (Part 1/2), basic level, Croatian 11:00 AM – 3:00 PMHPC Services for Entrepreneurs, EDIH CROBOHUB++ (Part 1/2 and 2/2), advanced level, Croatian |
Wednesday, November 13, is reserved for presentations and discussions on the current state, development, and future of HPC in Croatia and Europe. This main event will feature, among other distinguished guests, representatives from the EuroHPC JU initiative, the EuroCC 2 project at the EU level, the Ministry of Science, Education, and Youth, the Ministry of Economy, as well as partners of the national consortium of the EuroCC 2 project, namely the Croatian HPC Competence Center.
The program will include:
- An overview of the development and application of HPC in Croatia and the EU
- Examples of best practices and the importance of using HPC technologies in science, industry, and the public sector
- A panel discussion: "HPC in the Service of Innovation and Strategic Development: Creating New Opportunities Across All Sectors"
- Specialized consultations for entrepreneurs and scientists with experts in the field of HPC
- Networking with key stakeholders in HPC, HPDA, and AI fields
| Time | Content |
|---|---|
| 9:30 - 10:00 | Registration and coffee |
| 10:00 - 10:15 | Opening of the Croatian Competence Centre Day for HPC |
| 10:15 - 11:30 |
Overview of the HPC landscape in Europe and Croatia: current state and perspectives
|
| 11:30 - 12:00 | Lecture "Importance of High-Performance Computing (HPC) in Advancing Large Language Models (LLMs)" dr.sc. Gaurish Thakkar, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| 12:00 - 12:30 | Coffee break |
| 12:30 - 14:30 | Round table: "HPC at the service of innovation and strategic development: Creating new opportunities in all sectors" |
| 14:30 - 15:00 | Closure |
| 15:00 - 16:00 | Lunch and networking |
| 16:00 - 17:30 | Tour of the HR-ZOO ZG2 data center - supercomputer Supek |
HPC technologies are increasingly recognized as key to solving complex problems in science and industry. Join us at this exceptional event and find out how HPC can improve your research or business projects. During the all-day event on November 13, you can request an individual consultation lasting 30 minutes. In your application, please describe the issue you want to discuss, and we will assign you a suitable expert from the Croatian Center for High-Performance Computing based on your request. Additionally, after the program concludes, from 16:00 to 17:30, a transport and tour of the HR-ZOO ZG2 data center will be organized, where you will have the opportunity to see the "Supek" supercomputer on the Borongaj campus.
Participation in the event is free, but due to the limited number of places, registration via the form on the official website of the Croatian Competence Center for HPC is required REGISTRATION on NCC Croatia web.
The deadline for REGISTRATION is November 11, 2024, at 11:00 AM.
About the Croatian Competence Centre for HPC
The Croatian Competence Centre for HPC (NCC Croatia) contributes to strengthening existing and developing new competencies in the field of high-performance computing for users in science, higher education, industry, and public administration. The Centre operates as part of the EuroCC and EuroCC 2 projects, funded by EU and national funds, and is aligned with the goals of the EuroHPC initiative. It is managed, with the support of the Ministry of Science, Education, and Youth, by a consortium of Croatian institutions: the University of Zagreb University Computing Centre (SRCE) as the head, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology Osijek of the J.J. Strossmayer University of Osijek (FERIT), the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Rijeka (RITEH), the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI), and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture of the University of Split (FESB).
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Workshop Introduction to Quantum Computing, French Competence Centre for HPC, HPDA and AI - CC-FR and i ROMEO Computer Centre, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne
In the workshop "Introduction to Quantum Computing," discover the basics of quantum computing and program your first quantum program. The workshop will be conducted in English. It is necessary to bring a laptop to connect to the quantum simulator. To follow the workshop effectively, participants should have knowledge of linear algebra and experience in programming in Python. The workshop will take place on November 12, at SRCE, Hall E from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM.
Frédéric Mauguière, PhD
ROMEO Supercomputing Center, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (France)Frédéric Mauguière holds a PhD in Mathematical Physics from the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA, France), specializing in molecular physics and dynamical systems. He has worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Crete (Greece) and the University of Bristol (United Kingdom), focusing on various aspects of transition state theory. After several years in the private sector, he joined ROMEO, the computing center of the University of Reims, in 2018, where he currently serves as Deputy Director. -
Workshop Modelling of (nano)materials with Quantum ESPRESSO, CoE MAX (MAterials design at the eXascale)
This workshop will cover the key features of the Quantum ESPRESSO code, focusing on developing practical skills in atomistic modeling using density functional theory methods. Participants will gain hands-on experience in applying these methods, with a focus on practical applications. The aim is to equip participants with the skills needed to use Quantum ESPRESSO on modern HPC systems effectively in their research. The workshop will be conducted in English. SRCE will provide all participants with a computer for use during the workshop.
Workshop Program (Classroom B):
09:00-10:00 Introduction to Quantum ESPRESSO: Overview
10:30-12.30 Quantum ESPRESSO on HPC and GPU systems: parallelization
13.30-15:00 Convergence tests and structural relaxations
15:30-17:00 Postprocessing and analysis of results
Pietro Delugas is a research software engineer at SISSA. Since 2015, he has been involved in the development of Quantum ESPRESSO, collaborating with the MaX Center of Excellence (CoE) and the QE Foundation. He works on GPU porting, improving efficiency, maintaining the QE suite, and developing postQE and QEschema Python packages. Pietro holds a PhD in physics from the University of Cagliari (2006) and has worked at institutions such as Philips/NXP at the IMEC center, CNR in Catania, and IOM in Cagliari before joining SISSA in 2015.Oscar Baseggio is a research software engineer at SISSA, working since 2018 on the maintenance and development of linear response codes and GPU porting in Quantum ESPRESSO. He earned his PhD in 2016 from the University of Trieste and previously worked as an ADF developer for the SCM Group in Amsterdam until 2018.Matic Pobrežnik is a research associate at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He specializes in computational modeling using the Quantum ESPRESSO package for electronic structure calculations. Matic holds a PhD focused on the oxidation of aluminum surfaces and their interaction with potential corrosion inhibitors. He has developed the ARTn appendix, a new implementation of the activation relaxation technique for identifying saddle points on potential energy surfaces.Anton Kokalj is a senior researcher at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana. His work focuses on computational chemistry and materials science, particularly modeling physicochemical processes relevant to corrosion and heterogeneous catalysis. He has also contributed to research on Li-batteries, inorganic molecular crystals, and organometallic complexes. Anton developed various tools for Quantum ESPRESSO, including PWTK (PWscf ToolKit) and PWgui (PWscf Graphical User Interface). -
Workshop "HPC Services for Entrepreneurs", EDIH CROBOHUB++ , Srce
Experts from the University Computing Centre of the University of Zagreb (SRCE) are organizing a workshop titled "HPC Services for Entrepreneurs", as part of the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) CROBOHUB++ project, aimed at companies interested in learning about the key aspects, benefits, and practical uses of high-performance computing (HPC) in business and product development. The workshop is divided into two parts: Part 1: Basics of HPC architecture and technology, along with an overview of available national and international HPC resources. This section is intended for beginners without prior knowledge of HPC.Part 2: Practical hands-on experience on the SRCE computer cluster, including access to the cluster, data preparation, programming environment setup, application execution via a job management system, and monitoring application and node performance. This part is designed for advanced users with prior knowledge of Linux and their own computers.
Emir Imamagić is the Head of the Advanced Computing Sector at SRCE. With over 20 years of experience, he specializes in high-performance computing, distributed and cloud computing, and systems management. He manages the Supek supercomputer and the Vrančić advanced cloud computing resources. Emir is actively involved in European projects such as EDIH CROBOHUB++, EuroCC 2, CroQCI, and several EOSC projects.
Marko Hrženjak, University Computing Centre, SRCEMarko Hrženjak is an HPC expert with a background in Agronomy. He works as an e-scientist at SRCE, supporting bioinformatics and HPC technology education for scientists and entrepreneurs. Marko is experienced in optimizing HPC applications for complex data analyses and provides training on advanced systems that enable parallel data processing, significantly accelerating research processes.
