ATHENA

Largest computing power in Central and Eastern Europe

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Athena is one of the most powerful supercomputers in this part of Europe, created and managed by ACK Cyfronet AGH – the Academic Computer Center of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow. The system achieves more than 77 petaflops of computing power, placing it among the top high performance computing (HPC) machines in the world. Cyfronet AGH develops advanced computing infrastructure to support science, economy and administration, laying the foundation for innovation and technological development. Supercomputers such as Athena and Helios enable complex calculations, simulations and analysis in key areas, including biotechnology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, medicine, image analysis, artificial intelligence, data modeling, climatology, geophysics, materials engineering and digitization of cultural heritage. Thanks to this infrastructure, Poland is today among the leaders in large-scale computing in Central and Eastern Europe, and Krakow is becoming a regional center for supercomputing and artificial intelligence.

WHAT NEEDS DOES THE INNOVATION ADDRESS?

The Athena supercomputer supports the development of science, industry and technology, providing computing power that cannot be provided by individual institutions. Its resources enable scientific research and industrial projects requiring massive performance. It is also a tool that drives the development of artificial intelligence and digital technologies – it is used to train large language models, conduct quantum computing and analyze collections of big data. Athena plays a key role in ensuring digital security and data sovereignty, enabling the storage and processing of strategic information in Poland. Moreover, it opens up new opportunities for the humanities and social sciences, supporting the digitization of cultural resources and the analysis of social data. It also provides a cost-effective alternative to commercial cloud solutions, offering flexible access to computing power on an “hourly” model.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

Athena is the largest supercomputer in Central and Eastern Europe, reaching a computing power of 77 petaflops and regularly listed in the prestigious TOP500 rankings. It provides full support for science and industry, offering an open infrastructure available to universities, research institutes, companies and startups. The system guarantees full security of data stored and processed on Polish territory, in accordance with national and EU digital sovereignty requirements. Its applications are extremely broad – they include biotechnology, energy, medicine, climatology, as well as digital culture and humanities. Athena is also integrated into the European supercomputer network EuroHPC, which enables participation in pan-European projects and cooperation with leading research centers across Europe.

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