Super experts for supercomputers

New experts in supercomputing will receive training at FAU in a new European Master’s degree program starting in winter semester 2022/23.

The aim of the EUMaster4HPC Master’s degree program is to develop a new and innovative European program for high performance computing. FAU is currently one of eight partner universities at which students can study high performance computing (HPC). Each participating university contributes its own specialist fields. Furthermore, FAU is responsible for managing the centralized application process. More than 30 other partners from all over Europe are also involved; in Germany, for example, these include the National Centers for High Performance Computing (NHR) and a few other universities.

Expertise across Europe

Students from a wide variety of technical subjects, such as engineering or applied mathematics, can apply for a place on the degree program. However, there are strict selection criteria for the program, which is taught entirely in English. In contrast to other degree programs, experts in HPC from all over Europe and partners from industry are involved in the selection process. Once admitted to the program, students receive EU funding. They receive 5000 euros per year, grants for mobility costs and have their tuition fees waived – this is particularly beneficial for students at universities that charge tuition fees. A joint European curriculum, which will be developed during the next two years, will enable students to acquire skills in the first two semesters that will prepare them for their specialization semester at a partner university in the second year. After four semesters, students complete their degree with qualifications from both universities they visited during the two year program.

Collaboration with NHR@FAU

At FAU, the Chair of Computer Science 10, a pioneer in numeric processes and system simulation, the Chair of Computer Science 3 (Computer Architecture) and the Professorship for High Performance Computing are involved in the program. Thanks to the Computational Engineering (CE) degree program that FAU has been offering for more than 20 years now, Erlangen has a strong network in the field of engineering that facilitates fields of application such as medical engineering, materials science and engineering and mechanical engineering. In addition to this, the Center for National High-Performance Computing Erlangen (NHR@FAU) contributes to the curriculum in Erlangen with its specialist knowledge of performance engineering, in other words research into how software can be accelerated using supercomputers. These specializations differentiate FAU from the other EUMaster4HPC universities, where the program often builds on degree programs in computer science or mathematics. Students at these universities tend to specialize in areas such as data science or applied mathematics.

Running the HPC degree program requires more than just expertise in teaching and research. IT infrastructure that is powerful enough to process the quantities of data used during research activities is essential. NHR@FAU provides the most up-to-date supercomputers and customized software environments. The close collaboration between FAU chairs and NHR@FAU is also an advantage for students, who can use the supercomputers located at FAU, which are among the most powerful in the world, every day during their lectures and seminars and tutorials.

von Deborah Pirchner

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