PRACE Publishes 4th Edition of Its Scientific and Innovation Case for HPC in Europe

Key Takeaways

• PRACE releases fourth Scientific and Innovation Case covering 2026‑2034
• New chapters address AI, quantum computing, and social sciences
• Digital twins highlighted as critical tool for climate and health research
• Recommendations target policymakers and industry to boost HPC investment
• Europe aims to maintain exascale leadership and computational independence

Pulse Analysis

The Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (PRACE) has just published the fourth edition of its Scientific and Innovation Case, a roadmap that surveys high‑performance computing (HPC) achievements and outlines priorities through 2034. Building on a decade of exascale deployments, the report showcases how Europe’s supercomputing centres—ranging from pre‑exascale clusters to the continent’s first true exascale machines—support research across physics, climate, life sciences and industry. By aggregating user feedback, PRACE positions itself as the collective voice of scientists, engineers, and corporate partners who rely on massive computational resources.

The new edition marks a strategic shift by dedicating full chapters to artificial intelligence and quantum computing, fields that are reshaping the computational landscape. PRACE argues that AI‑driven simulations and fault‑tolerant quantum processors will unlock problems that classical HPC cannot solve, from drug discovery to materials design. It also spotlights digital twins—high‑fidelity virtual replicas of physical systems—as a cross‑domain catalyst for “what‑if” experimentation, especially in climate modelling, personalized medicine, and advanced manufacturing. These narratives illustrate how Europe is integrating emerging paradigms into its HPC ecosystem.

Policy makers and industry leaders are urged to translate the report’s cross‑domain recommendations into sustained funding and open‑access frameworks. The emphasis on AI, quantum, and digital twins signals a need for flexible, heterogeneous architectures and stronger public‑private collaboration to keep Europe competitive against the United States and China. By championing a coordinated investment strategy, PRACE hopes to preserve scientific independence while accelerating innovation pipelines. The case thus serves both as a benchmark of past success and a call to action for the next decade of European computational excellence.