INESC TEC positions national supercomputing at the forefront of Europe

INESC TEC has once again placed itself at the heart of European decision-making – this time in the field of supercomputing. On 10 November, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President, Henna Virkkunen, visited the Deucalion supercomputer, installed at the University of Minho (UMinho), in Guimarães. The visit highlighted Portugal’s contribution to the European Union’s digital and scientific strategy in this domain. 

The event deepened the dialogue between INESC TEC and the European Commission, showcasing how the capabilities of Deucalion – operated by the National Advanced Computing Centre (CNCA) in partnership with INESC TEC and UMinho – support projects with direct impact across several areas of science and innovation. It also reinforced the position as a key player in the development of advanced solutions that combine high-performance computing with diverse fields of knowledge. 

“This visit allowed us to assert our position and contributions in this area,” emphasised João Claro, Chairman of the Board of INESC TEC. “In particular, we were able to establish a relevant connection between this visit, the high-level event on Artificial Intelligence and Energy, and the ongoing relations between Portugal and the portfolios of Henna Virkkunen and Dan Jørgensen, Commissioner for Energy and Housing,” he added. 

In recent years, INESC TEC’s participation in working groups, strategic forums and high-level European Commission initiatives has evolved significantly, contributing to the development of public policies in multiple domains. 

A national infrastructure serving Europe 

“Deucalion holds a strategic importance in advanced computing, as it enables closer collaboration among EU partners and drives national and European projects aimed at delivering direct solutions to real challenges in science, innovation and society,” noted António Luís Sousa, Deucalion’s Operations Director, Professor at UMinho’s School of Engineering and Researcher at INESC TEC. 

Furthermore, the European Commission’s delegation stressed that the visit “reinforced the commitment between the European Union (EU) and Portugal to the development of advanced computing resources capable of addressing major scientific, environmental and economic challenges, contributing to the digital and green transitions, and accelerating discovery and practical applications.” 

The visit also included the participation of: the Head of the European Commission Representation in Portugal, Ambassador Sofia Moreira de Sousa; the Scientific Adviser to the Representation of the European Commission in Portugal, Carlos Morais Pires; the President of the North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N), António Cunha; the Vice-President of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), João Nuno Ferreira; the Mayor of Guimarães, Ricardo Araújo; the President of the CNCA’s Board of Directors, Nuno Castro; the Chairman of INESC TEC, João Claro; and, representing UMinho, the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, Sandra Paiva; the President of the School of Engineering, António Vicente; the President of the School of Sciences, José González-Méijome; and the Director of the Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Patrícia Maciel.