On March 10-11, 2025, representatives from all DARE SGA1 partner institutions gathered in Barcelona for the project’s official Kickoff Meeting. Hosted at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), the event marked the beginning of a strong collaborative effort between industry and academia to advance Europe’s capabilities in high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI).
Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS) Director, Mateo Valero, shared a welcome address, emphasizing the strategic importance of European sovereignty in technology development. He highlighted the role of the DARE SGA1 project in strengthening Europe’s position in HPC and AI, both within the continent and on the global stage.
Prof. Mateo Valero, Director BSC-CNS
Osman Unsal (BSC-CNS), Principal Investigator of DARE SGA1, outlined the project’s overarching vision and its strong links with other EuroHPC JU initiatives including the European Processor Initiative, EUPILOT, and eProcessor. His presentation underscored how these projects collectively contribute to Europe’s digital autonomy by fostering a cohesive and forward-looking approach to HPC and AI.
Osman Unsal, BSC-CNS, DARE SGA1 Principal Investigator
The agenda featured presentations of technical work packages and tasks on accelerators, software integration, and system prototyping, ensuring alignment on key research directions. Additional sessions addressed project coordination, management, dissemination, and innovation strategies. Parallel technical discussions provided a focused environment for experts to refine research directions and collaborative strategies.
Demo by Axelera AI
One of the meetings highlights was a live demonstration by Axelera AI, showcasing advanced AI acceleration technology. The demonstration offered insight into emerging innovations that will support the project’s objectives and drive progress in European AI and HPC development.
With a shared commitment to innovation and collaboration, the DARE SGA 1 consortium is now set to translate its vision into concrete advancements. The kickoff meeting laid the groundwork for the next stages of research and development, ensuring alignment across partners as they work toward Europe’s leadership in HPC and AI.
