CASPIR is expected to significantly enhance Ireland’s high-performance computing capacity.

Ireland is getting a new supercomputer called Computational Analysis and Simulation Platform for Ireland (CASPIR).

The computer is currently being procured by the University of Galway and the European High-Performance Computing (EuroHPC) joint undertaking (JU), and will be managed by the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC). A hosting agreement for the supercomputer was signed last October.

Once operational, the CASPIR supercomputer is expected to significantly enhance national high-performance computing capacity and benefit the country’s research and innovation ecosystem.

Commenting on the procurement, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless, TD said: “Ireland’s new supercomputer will provide the technological means for researchers and innovators to tackle key scientific and societal challenges in areas including health, environment and climate, artificial intelligence, materials science and transport.

“Procuring a supercomputer will be a landmark moment for research and innovation in our country.”

The EuroHPC JU is a funding entity which enables EU countries, European countries associated with the Horizon Europe programme, as well as private organisations to coordinate efforts and pool resources to build a supercomputing ecosystem.

Established in 2018, EuroHPC JU promotes the development of high-performance computing, quantum and AI innovation in involved countries. Ireland is a founding member of the funding entity.

The Government announced last year it received European funding for a €10m AI Factory Antenna. The Antenna will be implemented by ICHEC, CeADAR – Ireland’s centre for AI – alongside enterprise accelerators, including PorterShed, Dogpatch Labs, RDI Hub and Republic of Works, as well as digital skills networks, including Innovation Technology AtlanTec Gateway and Digital Technology Skills.

Meanwhile, CloudCIX’s Cork data centre launched the ‘Boole supercomputer’ in late January this year. The Cork-based supercomputer, a joint venture between CloudCIX and AlloComp, is reportedly one of Europe’s first liquid-cooled Nvidia B200 GPU deployments in Europe – and the first in Ireland.

Months earlier, University College Dublin (UCD) announced that it was procuring a new nearly €724,000 Nvidia supercomputer expected to perform 50-times faster than UCD’s existing high-performance compute cluster.

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