LUMI supercomputer will now be built

LUMI will be one of the world’s fastest supercomputers. Top performance will be 552 petaflops per second – compared to Fugako in Japan, the currently fastest super-computer, where the highest speed is 513 petaflops per second. LUMI will also be one of the world’s most advanced platforms for artificial intelligence.

“The investment in LUMI is important for research, and at the same time a good example of collaboration between countries,” says Björn Halleröd, Secretary General of the Council for Research Infrastructures at the Swedish Research Council

LUMI is expected to open for users from July 2021, but already early in 2021 Swedish researchers will be able to apply for user time at LUMI. The first calls will open at that time.

With LUMI, researchers will be able to do work such as simulating biological molecules, construct large-scale AI systems and model climate change.

“The needs of research for large computing resources are growing very quickly. They cover factors such as management and analysis of complex data, computation capacity, and advanced modelling. LUMI is an important component for meeting these needs,” says Björn Halleröd.

The LUMI consortium has now signed an agreement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to build the computer at Finland’s government-owned IT and data centre in Kajaani. The facility will be operated using 100 per cent renewable electricity in collaboration with the Swedish company Vattenfall, and the plan is to utilise the excess heat. This makes LUMI one of the most environmentally efficient supercomputers in the world.

EU and ten European countries investing together

The LUMI supercomputer is a joint investment by the EU and ten European countries, including Sweden and the Swedish Research Council. The investment and collaboration create new opportunities for research and innovation.