December 2018

We most certainly deserve a break after a busy year! 2018 has been the most demanding year since the foundation of our Association. It will be remembered as the year when the European HPC strategy took a long expected turn towards a tighter integration of its activities.

The flagship initiative of our ecosystem, EuroHPC, is almost up and running and it will be the source of funding and projects for the next few years. Our Association is well represented on its advisory board. Our 4 delegates will make sure that our voice is heard and we as an association need to ensure that we provide our members with tools and mechanisms to formulate and express their views. All members will be invited to participate in the writing our 4th HPC technology roadmap – the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), which is due by the end of 2019. You will be hearing from our Office team soon – we require your involvement in the preparation of the SRIA. It will form the basis of the EuroHPC Work Programme (although the first part of it will be based on the input provided by us in the course of 2018). Prior to that, in the first quarter of 2019, our teams will be working on our post-Horizon 2020 Vision, which will be synchronised with similar efforts by BDVA and HiPEAC.

Apart from our involvement in the creation of EuroHPC and the definition of its roadmap, we have also been actively representing the European HPC industry. We have continued our dialogue with the EC within the Public-Private Partnership, whose charter now will be taken over by EuroHPC. We have co-organised and participated in a number of events and projects – e.g. the European HPC Summit Week, ISC and ICT in Europe, and BDEC and SC internationally, where we shared the details of the European HPC strategy and ecosystem. We have been a key player within the EXDCI coordination project, which, for example, has produced a list of the results of all FETHPC projects.

We also elected a new Steering Board, whose mandate will bring us into 2020. I would like to thank the members of the Board for their support and hard work, in particular in setting up our presence in EuroHPC.

2019 is going to be exciting. The next (9th) General Assembly (18-19 March 2019, near Schiphol Airport) will provide all members with an opportunity to take part in the decisions affecting the whole organisation and receive a first-hand update on the activities and strategic directions of ETP4HPC.

2018 has been a difficult year and I would like to thank everyone for their patience in getting us through difficult waters. A special mention is deserved by our Office, which has delivered excellent work for our Association, and our partners: the EC, BDVA, HiPEAC, BDEC, AIOTI, and many others. Now it is time to replenish our energy levels.
 
I wish you a happy Christmas and a prosperous 2019.


Jean-Pierre Panziera
ETP4HPC Chairman