In a historic milestone for scientific research and business innovation, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) has inaugurated the MareNostrum 5, the most powerful supercomputer in Europe.
This machine, with a peak capacity of 200 Petaflops, is 25 times more powerful than its predecessor, the MareNostrum 4, and is ranked among the top three supercomputers on the continent. The inauguration, which took place on December 21, was presided over by Pedro Sánchez, President of the Spanish Government, and Pere Aragonès, President of the Generalitat.
MareNostrum 5: unprecedented power and capabilities
The MareNostrum 5 is a technological marvel with a capacity to perform up to 200,000 trillion operations per second, a feat that its predecessor would take centuries to achieve.
With a maximum total performance of 314 Petaflops, this machine ranks among the 20 most powerful supercomputers in the world. Barcelona is once again at the forefront of the technological revolution, according to Pedro Sánchez during the inauguration.
The investment to make this technological feat a reality amounts to 220 million euros. Of this amount, $151 million was earmarked for the acquisition and installation of components, while about $70 million is reserved to cover operating costs through 2028.
A supercomputer beyond raw power
This supercomputer is not just a monument of raw power, but a tool dedicated to the advancement of research in a variety of fields.
It will focus on the development of processors and chips with European technology and will boost medical research, from the design of drugs and vaccines to data analysis to solve complex problems beyond the reach of conventional computers.
The MareNostrum 5 will represent a significant advance in the fight against diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and cancer. It will also play a crucial role in artificial intelligence (AI) research.
Highlighting the importance of this project for Catalonia, Spain and Europe, President Pedro Sánchez emphasized its contribution to biomedical research and to tackling global challenges such as climate change.
The capacity of this supercomputer will allow higher resolution in climate change simulations, improving the accuracy and reliability of predictions.
Spain will play a key role in the European project ‘Destination Earth’, developing a complete virtual replica of planet Earth to predict the effects of climate change and explore scenarios for sustainable development.
Innovation and international cooperation
MareNostrum 5 is the result of a significant collaboration. 65% of the financing comes from European funds, marking Europe’s largest investment in a scientific infrastructure in Spain. The European Union’s supercomputing consortium, EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, together with Spain, Turkey and Portugal, has made this ambitious project possible.
