The John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC) has been providing computation time on supercomputers for science and industry for more than 25 years. Up to now, the facility based at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre in Forschungszentrum Jülich has been operated jointly with two other Helmholtz centers, Deutsches Elektronensynchrotron DESY and GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung. A fourth partner, Goethe University Frankfurt, has now joined the team to strengthen research in the field of computational science in Germany and Europe.
“For more than a quarter of a century, NIC has stood for scientific excellence. Through the NIC research groups, NIC explores pioneering fields of research for high-performance computing and it drives the development of ground-breaking technologies. With Goethe University Frankfurt, NIC has gained a strong university partner, which will enable it to exploit the potential in high-performance computing and artificial intelligence even more effectively and advance the training of the next generation of scientists and engineers,” says Prof. Astrid Lambrecht, Chair of the Board of Directors at Forschungszentrum Jülich.
Like the existing centers, the fourth partner will also contribute to the fundamental goals of NIC. “Beyond innovative high-performance computing, NIC’s core research topics include artificial intelligence methods and data-driven modelling, as well as energy-efficient technologies such as quantum computing or neuromorphic computing,” says Prof. Thomas Lippert, Professor of Modular Supercomputing and Quantum Computing at Goethe University and head of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), which heads the NIC collaboration. JSC has been working successfully with Goethe University for many years. It therefore made sense to join forces.
Prof. Enrico Schleiff, President of Goethe University, says: “Goethe University will contribute its expertise in developing high-performance computing architectures and constructing energy-efficient data centers to the NIC partnership.” In addition, researchers from different areas of Goethe University could develop supercomputer applications that would also benefit other researchers. “Our SCALE project, for example, is about creating a digital twin of a cell: We develop computer simulation methods that map the internal self-organization in this smallest unit of life,” says Schleiff. “The main challenge here lies in simultaneously capturing the dynamic changes – and that involves processing enormous volumes of data. In the long term, digital cell twins will make it possible to simulate the influence of stress factors on cells and tissue, which in turn will have a groundbreaking impact on medical research, including on the work of the Cardio-Pulmonary Institute.”
All NIC partners will continue to contribute equally to achieving the overarching common goals of NIC. In addition to providing supercomputer capacity, NIC accepts research proposals from German scientists and provides the necessary information technology infrastructure via JSC. Furthermore, NIC offers targeted supercomputer-oriented research and development in NIC’s current core areas as well as in selected fields of other sciences, especially in elementary particle physics, by research groups for supercomputing applications. It also promotes education and training in the field of scientific computing through symposia, workshops, summer schools, seminars, courses, and guest programs for scientists and university students. All NIC partners make their resources and expertise available to NIC users free of charge.
NIC took over the functions and tasks of the former High-Performance Computing Centre (HLRZ), which was founded in Jülich in 1987, and has successfully continued its work in the field of supercomputing and its applications ever since. The four partners are now looking forward to continuing this productive collaboration.
