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New services, new ways to get support and new opportunities to meet. There is plenty happening across e-INFRA CZ this autumn.
In this edition, we look at what’s new across the e-INFRA CZ ecosystem: MetaCentrum has launched a new Ambassador Programme, connecting users with experienced researchers who can offer practical advice. We also look at new services and computing opportunities, from the major boost in AI computing capacity promised by LUMI-AI to the first research projects running on the VLQ quantum computer, and at how e-INFRA CZ resources are supporting research in practice. Beyond infrastructure, there is a busy autumn ahead, with Researchers’ Night, LinuxDays, the CESNET Conference and the IT4Innovations Users’ Conference all coming up.
Enjoy the autumn edition!
e-INFRA CZ Team
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e-INFRA CZ users will test applications including detecting AI-generated voice deepfakes, simulating molecules important for drug development, and analysing power grids. Through the 37th Open Access Grant Competition of IT4Innovations, 16 projects from Czech research institutions have gained access to the VLQ quantum computer. Successful applicants include researchers from the Czech Academy of Sciences, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Charles University and Brno University of Technology.
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Through IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center, the Czech Republic will gain access to LUMI-AI, a new European supercomputing infrastructure. LUMI-AI will offer approximately a tenfold increase in artificial intelligence performance and nearly double the traditional scientific computing performance of the current LUMI supercomputer. The new system, scheduled for launch in 2027, will also be available to e-INFRA CZ users.
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How can advanced computing help researchers explore materials before they even exist? In the latest article in our Lupa.cz series, Martin Friák from the Czech Academy of Sciences shares how e-INFRA CZ resources support his research. His story is part of a series showing e-INFRA CZ in practice through the work of researchers who use its services and technologies. The article also shows how shared national infrastructure supports demanding scientific work in practice.
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315 billion tokens and more than 31 million requests in six months. That is the usage recorded by CERIT-SC’s AI infrastructure. At comparable commercial prices, this would amount to around USD 222,000, or USD 14 per registered user per month. And when it comes to AI costs, every token counts. Lukáš Hejtmánek explains how usage can be tracked in detail and why AI development and operating costs need to be considered separately.
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Struggling with your environment setup, tools or workflows in MetaCentrum? The new MetaCentrum Ambassador Programme connects users with experienced researchers, academics and PhD students across the Czech Republic who can offer practical advice and help with common challenges. Because sometimes the best documentation is someone who has already figured it out.
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MetaCentrum has launched Matrix as an additional communication channel for Large Language model (LLM) services. Users can follow service updates, planned maintenance and outage information, ask questions, and discuss LLM services with the team and other users. Matrix is available to anyone with an active MetaCentrum account.
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CESNET has joined the CERN-founded White Rabbit Collaboration as its first Czech member. A little wonderland of its own, the technology can distribute precise time and frequency over optical networks with accuracy better than one nanosecond – helping build a resilient alternative to GPS and Galileo.
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What if scientific publishing did not come with a bill for either the author or the reader? Diamond Open Access is built around exactly that idea, keeping research freely accessible while giving the academic community greater control over scholarly publishing. Could it become a stronger part of the Czech research landscape? Masaryk University is establishing a national centre to help move it in that direction.
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EuroHPC JU access calls
e-INFRA CZ users can apply for EuroHPC JU access calls, which provide access to several European computing systems, including the LUMI supercomputer. An overview of currently open calls for proposals is available here.
Computing resources available through AI Factories, including the LUMI supercomputer, can be used not only by startups and companies, but also by researchers and the public sector. Access is available, for example, through the AI for Science and Collaborative EU Projects call.
Get one-year access to EuroHPC JU supercomputers, including LUMI.
Deadline: 19 October (Results within six months)
Get six-month access to EuroHPC JU supercomputers, including LUMI.
Deadline: 30 October (Results within one month)
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The Barbora NG supercomputer, the latest addition to the IT4Innovations data hall, has been fully available to users since August. Based on the BullSequana XH architecture, the system comprises 144 standard compute nodes. Barbora NG is already supporting its first projects, and its official inauguration will take place during the 10th IT4Innovations Users’ Conference.
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Researchers’ Night across e-INFRA CZ
This year’s Researchers’ Night will bring together the entire e-INFRA CZ community. CERIT-SC and IT4Innovations will all open their doors to the public, alongside the EOSC CZ Training Centre. Visitors will be able to go behind the scenes of the Czech Republic’s most powerful supercomputers, see the country’s first quantum computer, talk to artificial intelligence experts, and discover technologies shaping our future.
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Sat 3 – Sun 4 Oct
This year’s LinuxDays will feature more than 70 talks and workshops, including contributions from across e-INFRA CZ. CESNET experts will present several talks, while IT4Innovations will introduce VLQ, Czechia’s first quantum computer. Visitors can also meet the e-INFRA CZ team at our booth, with live demonstrations and a competition. The event takes place at FIT CTU in Prague and is free to attend with prior registration.
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Tue 27 Oct
This online training will introduce the technology behind VLQ, explain how to obtain computing time and access the system, and demonstrate how to submit quantum circuits using Quantum-as-a-service tool provided by IT4Innovations. A practical session will showcase quantum computing on VLQ using Grover’s algorithm and quantum optimisation techniques.
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Thu 5 – Fri 6 Nov
The 10th edition of the conference will bring together users of IT4Innovations computing resources. The programme will cover IT4Innovations’ future plans and infrastructure upgrades, presentations by users, opportunities to share experiences and a poster session showcasing participants’ research. Registration is open until 26 October.
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This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic through the e-INFRA CZ (ID:90254).
You can find the assignment of e-INFRA CZ to R&D results supported by this research infrastructure on the e-INFRA CZ website.
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Connecting your account helps better track how the infrastructure contributes to research results and outputs. It also enables more efficient automated reporting and supports a more accurate evaluation of the impact and use of e-INFRA CZ services.
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The docs.e-infra.cz portal brings together documentation for all e-INFRA CZ services in one place. It helps users find guides for computing services, data storage, Galaxy workflows and AI-based tools, supporting use of the infrastructure across different research needs.
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