PRACE Preparatory Phase

PRACE Preparatory Phase
Name	PRACE Preparatory Phase
Abbreviation	PRACE PP
Formation	2008
Purpose	High Performance Computing infrastructure preparation
Headquarters	Brussels
Region served	European Union

PRACE Preparatory Phase

The PRACE Preparatory Phase was a Europe-wide initiative established to design and coordinate a pan-European High Performance Computing infrastructure, involving multiple research councils, ministrys, and university consortia. It aimed to prepare technical, legal, and financial frameworks to enable the operational launch of a research infrastructure for computational science, engaging stakeholders from CERN, ECMWF, CEA (France), DFG, and other major institutions. The project operated alongside policy developments at the European Commission and collaborations with initiatives like PRACE (Research Infrastructure), European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures, and national supercomputing centers.

Background and Objectives

The Preparatory Phase responded to strategic reports such as the ESFRI roadmap and recommendations from the European Commission and national agencies; it sought to define governance, access models, and procurement strategies for a distributed supercomputing ecosystem. Objectives included drafting statutes compatible with Belgian law frameworks, developing a business plan acceptable to entities like the European Investment Bank and national research councils, and aligning with scientific priorities articulated by communities such as CERN, Max Planck Society, CNRS, INFN, and CSIC. The initiative emphasized interoperability with projects supported by the Seventh Framework Programme and coordination with infrastructures like PRACE (Research Infrastructure) and regional centers such as BSC, CINECA, and GENCI.

Organization and Participants

The Preparatory Phase assembled a consortium of national organizations, including ministries and computing centers from countries represented on the ESFRI roadmap; participants included BSC (Barcelona Supercomputing Center), CINECA, HLRS, STFC, CEA, INFN, SURFsara, CNRS, and SARA. Governance structures mirrored models used by entities such as CERN and European Molecular Biology Laboratory, establishing boards comparable to those in European Space Agency projects. Key roles were filled by representatives of agencies like DFG, EPSRC, FWO, and FNR, together with scientific advisory groups composed of experts from Max Planck Society, ETH Zurich, Technical University of Munich, and leading laboratories from Sorbonne University and Leiden University.

Funding and Timeline

Funded in part by the European Commission under the FP7 framework, the Preparatory Phase bridged national co-funding commitments from participating countries and in-kind contributions from centers such as BSC, CINECA, HLRS, and PRACE (Research Infrastructure). The timeline covered initial setup in 2008, detailed planning through 2009–2010, and culminated in legal preparations around 2010–2011 to transition to an operational research infrastructure, aligning with funding cycles overseen by bodies like the European Investment Bank and national treasuries. Budgetary plans referenced procurement practices used by CERN, ESFRI projects, and procurement rules familiar to European Commission grants.

Technical Activities and Infrastructure

Technical workstreams mirrored architectures deployed at CERN and ECMWF, addressing interoperability, middleware, and user services drawing on experiences from EGI, PRACE (Research Infrastructure), and national centers such as CSCS, SURFsara, and Jülich Research Centre. Activities included requirements gathering from scientific communities represented by Max Planck Society, CEA, INFN, and CNRS; defining hardware tiers comparable to systems at Jülich, BSC, CINECA; establishing network topologies interoperable with GÉANT and national research and education networks like SURFnet and RENATER; and specifying security and identity frameworks compatible with eduGAIN and practices at PRACE (Research Infrastructure). Software and middleware strategies drew on projects such as OpenStack, Globus Toolkit, and workflow tools used at PRACE partner centers.

Scientific Projects and Use Cases

The Preparatory Phase collected use cases spanning disciplines championed by participants from Max Planck Society, CNRS, INFN, CERN, and European Molecular Biology Laboratory: large-scale simulations for climate change modeling with groups at ECMWF and Met Office, computational chemistry and materials science from CCI and NIMS collaborators, astrophysics simulations aligned with teams at ESO and INAF, and bioinformatics workflows linked to EMBL and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. These projects were coordinated with domain infrastructures such as ELIXIR, EPOS, and LifeWatch to ensure that application requirements—parallel libraries, I/O stacks, and visualization—were addressed in procurement and deployment plans.

Outcomes and Impact

The Preparatory Phase produced governance statutes, a business model, technical roadmaps, and procurement templates that informed the creation of a sustainable European supercomputing infrastructure. Outputs influenced the operational design adopted by successor infrastructures and national nodes including BSC, CINECA, PRACE (Research Infrastructure), and Jülich Research Centre, and provided templates used by ESFRI projects and the European Commission for later HPC initiatives. The work catalyzed collaborations among institutions such as CNRS, INFN, Max Planck Society, CEA, and STFC, and helped set standards for cross-border access mechanisms and peer-reviewed allocation processes modeled on systems at XSEDE and NCRR-style programs.

Legacy and Transition to PRACE RI

Upon completion, the Preparatory Phase transitioned its deliverables and stakeholder relationships to the operational Research Infrastructure established as PRACE RI, enabling procurement and deployment of petascale systems at centers like BSC, CINECA, Jülich Research Centre, and GENCI facilities. The legacy includes established legal entities, access policies, and technical blueprints that informed later European HPC developments such as EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and influenced national strategies at agencies like DFG, EPSRC, CNRS, and INFN. Many participants continued collaboration through governance bodies and scientific advisory boards modeled after structures from CERN and ESFRI.

Category:Supercomputing