Creation of the Minho Advanced Computing Center

FCT, UMinho and UTAustin have formalized the memorandum of understanding that will trigger the process of installing the first supercomputer in Portugal in the first quarter of 2018, along with the creation of the Minho Advanced Computing Centre (MAAC).

The ceremony took place at UMinho's Gualtar Campus, in Braga, on November 25, and was attended by the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, the President of FCT, Paulo Ferrão, the President of the Northern Regional Coordination Commission, Fernando Freire de Sousa, the outgoing Rector and the Rector-elect of the University of Minho, António Cunha and Rui Vieira de Castro, respectively, researchers, entrepreneurs and various representatives of scientific institutions and companies.

STAMPEDE 1 is the name of this advanced computing platform, to be installed at the University of Minho, which was given to the FCT by the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at UTAustin, as part of the international partnership between the University of Texas at Austin and Portugal. This new infrastructure will make it possible to develop new areas of computing in Portugal, complementing the resources that already exist in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley and Centro regions in this area of research. It will also have diverse scientific and business applications, namely in areas covering climate, maritime safety, fisheries support, monitoring mobility patterns in cities, stimulating biodiversity, risk management in forests and health applications, including bioinformatics. 

The infrastructure will be owned by FCT and its operation will be fully integrated into the national, European and international networks in fully open access modes, facilitating the adoption of the National Open Science Strategy. The management of this new infrastructure is the responsibility of a committee of experts, including users, coordinated by FCT's advanced computing services.

Among other potential applications, the infrastructure will serve the AIR Center, recently created by the "Florianópolis Declaration" of June 20, at Portugal's initiative in close international cooperation. The MACC will serve as the basis for the establishment of the "AIR CENTRE DATA INTELLIGENCE NETWORK (AIR_DataNet)", to be developed during 2018 together with the Texas Advanced Computing Centre (TACC) at UTAustin and the Barcelona Supercomputer Centre (BSC), among other international partners involved in the AIR Centre, in order to facilitate the development of data science and applications to climate-ocean interaction. 

This new infrastructure is also part of the national effort underway as part of the National Digital Skills Initiative e.2030 (INCoDe.2030) which, under the coordination of the FCT, includes stimulating new R&D activities in the areas of scientific computing, quantum sciences and technologies, artificial intelligence and digital media.

Also in this context, Portugal was one of the signatories of the European Declaration for the Advancement of Advanced Computing, EuroHPC, on March 23, 2017 in Rome, which aims to establish the intergovernmental framework to develop and operate the next generation of European advanced computing infrastructure.

Read FCT President Paulo Ferrão' s speech at the session.