High-Performance Computing (HPC) discussed at EU-ASEAN-Japan Symposium at the Supercomputing Asia Conference 2022

The continuation of the EU-ASEAN HPC school was announced during the EU-ASEAN-Japan Symposium at the Supercomputing Asia Conference 2022. The 2022 school will tentatively be held in-presence in Bangkok and will welcome back international experts to share the fundamentals of HPC and its applications to critical domains with students from ASEAN Member States.

Dr Fabrizio Gagliardi, E-READI HPC Expert from the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre in Spain, presented detailed information about the school at the symposium and commented, "The international approach to science is very important especially with advanced technology such as High-Performance Computing. Looking forward to the second EU-ASEAN HPC School, we are eager to see international collaboration in areas so critical for society to continue to thrive."

In addition to announcing the school, the symposium was a strong step towards validating networks that are already thriving as well as broadening the level of cooperation between the three participants of the EU, ASEAN and Japan in the field of HPC. The progress of science depends on collaboration and the symposium offered an ideal gathering space that emphasises the importance of data-sharing and collaborative technological efforts to find solutions to global crises collectively. Experts exchanged timely information on urgent matters such as the use of high-speed data processing to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acknowledging these circumstances, the symposium was structured in three tracks focusing on challenges and benefits of shared HPC ecosystems, HPC skill-building activities in ASEAN and HPC cooperation in tracking COVID-19. Experts gave in-depth updates on such initiatives as the EuroHPC joint undertaking, the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (or GISAID, which promotes the rapid sharing of data from all influenza viruses and the coronavirus causing COVID-19), and more. Prof Satoshi Matsuoka, Director of the RIKEN Centre for Computational Science, gave an update on the supercomputer Fugaku in addition to Japan’s HPC experience in the fight against the pandemic.

A vibrant culminating panel saw representatives discussing the benefits and challenges of international HPC collaboration. Ms Maria Cristina Russo, Director for Global Approach & International Partnerships, DG Research and Innovation - European Commission, expressed the need to further plan to broaden the level of cooperation between the EU, ASEAN and Japan in the area of HPC that demonstrates so many joint interests in her concluding remarks. Ambassador Igor Driesmans, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to ASEAN, referred to HPC’s role in the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines when opening the event, stating, “What can we deduct from this phenomenon? That science not only works, but that science needs more and more support from HPC resources.”

H.E. Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Economic Community, concluded the event by saying, “ASEAN sees HPC as an instrumental tool to build not only the foundation for scientific but also industrial and societal advancements which will, in turn, get translated into resilient future economic growth for ASEAN region. Along with the ongoing initiatives, ASEAN have a vision to establish the ASEAN Shared HPC Facility with our Partners like the EU and Japan. This ASEAN Shared HPC Facility will coordinate and drive access and reskilling of regional HPC capacities for all ASEAN Member States and work to overcome the high entry barrier of HPC.”

Following the success of its first iteration in 2021, the EU-ASEAN-Japan Symposium was once again held at the Supercomputing Asia 2022 Conference, which is co-organised by various HPC centres and anchored by the National Supercomputing Centre Singapore. This year, the original stakeholders of the ASEAN HPC Task Force, the European Union, the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation and Japanese research institutions presented updates on their collaborations under the theme “HPC International Infrastructures” during the hybrid virtual/in-person symposium. The symposium was supported by the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI) in coordination with the European Commission, Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DG R&I) .

The symposium was co-chaired by Dr Zurina Moktar, Head, Science and Technology Division, ASEAN Secretariat, Lukas Gajdos, Deputy Head of EU Delegation to ASEAN, and Prof Satoshi Matsuoka, Director, RIKEN Centre for Computational Science.

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For more information, please contact E-READI: ereadi@asean.org

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967. The ASEAN Member States are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. On 31 December 2015, the ASEAN Community was formally established. The ASEAN Secretariat is based in Jakarta.

The European Union (EU) is the economic and political union of 27 Member States. Together, the EU has built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development while maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedom. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing the goals of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe. The EU is the world's largest trading bloc, and the world's largest source and destination of foreign direct investment. Collectively, the EU and its member countries are the largest donors of Official Development Assistance (ODA), providing more than half of ODA globally. The 27 EU Member States (in alphabetical order) are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI) is a development cooperation programme that facilitates cooperation and dialogue between the EU and ASEAN in policy areas of joint interest. Drawing on the EU’s experience of regional integration, E-READI further strengthens both the ASEAN regional integration process as well as the overall ASEAN-EU strategic partnership.