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Major step forward for Europe's computing network

European network organisations working towards hyperconnectivity for supercomputing

To make the growing number of supercomputers, quantum sites, and AI factories in Europe more accessible to users, hyperconnectivity is essential: reliable connections with ultra-high bandwidth. The collaborating National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), including SURF, are taking up this challenge. The result will be an HPC ecosystem that researchers can fully benefit from.

Network connections for a European ecosystem

In the coming years, Europe is going to invest heavily in supercomputers, and the Netherlands will play a major role in this. Our country will not only host a European quantum supercomputer but also a European AI factory; both managed by SURF. Facilities like this require network connections capable of keeping up with these high-performance computers and making it possible to access, combine, and interconnect the various infrastructures. Not just locally, but on a European scale. Only then will an ecosystem be created from which researchers, public authorities and companies across Europe can benefit.

Investments in design, implementation and operation

Last year, the EuroHPC JU (an initiative that brings together the European Union and participating countries to make Europe a world leader in supercomputing) tendered for the development of this network infrastructure. In this, SURF and other National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) from Europe, represented by umbrella organisation GÉANT, proved to be the best party to deliver the required reliable hyperconnectivity. Over a period of 48 months, they will jointly work on the design, implementation and operation.

In the Netherlands, the connectivity service will be connected by SURF to the national supercomputer Snellius, the future quantum computer in Amsterdam and the AI factory in Groningen.

Major step forward for the European computing network

With these new connections, the participating NRENs are taking a major step forward. In close collaboration with GÉANT, a broad, high-capacity computing network with extensive coverage for researchers throughout Europe will emerge. The first implementation activities are expected to start in the coming months, with the first services becoming available to users in 2026. These services will gradually be expanded to connect all EuroHPC supercomputers and associated AI and quantum sites.

More information can be found on the GÉANT website.

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