Author: Halyna Hyryavets

We are proud to bridge research and practice and to co-create success stories of innovative Slovak companies.

You can read the full article in the SOPK Monthly, issue 4/2025, on page 41.

Together with SARIO, we express our intention to closely cooperate on:

• raising awareness about the possibilities of using high-performance computing and related technologies,
• supporting innovation in both companies and research organizations,
• developing the business environment in the field of digital technologies.

Our shared goal is to make computational resources and expert know-how accessible to the private sector – from early-stage startups to established industrial enterprises. Today, HPC technologies play a key role in accelerating product development, optimizing processes, reducing costs, and increasing competitiveness.

We are convinced that connecting technological infrastructure with investment and innovation policy creates a strong foundation for the development of Slovakia as a modern and technologically advanced country. We believe that cooperation with SARIO will contribute to an even more effective use of HPC potential in the Slovak economy.

Handling digital forensics in large-scale environments demands immense computational resources. This session will demonstrate how HPC accelerates the forensic analysis of cyber incidents, supports large dataset examination, and enables faster threat identification. Use cases from industry and public sector investigations will be discussed.

Speaker: Dr. Mazhar Malik UWE Bristol, Faculty of Environment and Technology – Computer Science and Creative Technologies 
Date: 5 May, 2025, 11:00 CEST
Venue: online
Registration

Join us for the talk: Digital Forensics in the Era of Big Data: Leveraging HPC for Incident Analysis 

Registered participants will receive an invitation to the MS Teams meeting a few days before the event.

About the Speaker

Dr. Mazhar Malik is Associate Director and Head of Intelligent Systems at the School of Computing and Creative Technologies, where he has served since September 2022. He has extensive experience in IoT, cybersecurity, digital forensics, and artificial intelligence. Previously, he worked as Director for apprenticeship in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and as Associate Professor and Head of Computing and IT at the Global College of Engineering and Technology (GCET) in Oman. From 2015 to 2022, he led academic programmes including MSc Data Science, BSc Computer Security and Forensics, and BSc Computer Science with a focus on smart devices and AI, in collaboration with UWE-Bristol. He also contributes to programme accreditation with the British Computer Society and other international agencies. Dr. Malik is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and a Certified Information Technology Professional. He serves on editorial boards of several international journals and has chaired the Asia Pacific International Conference on Emerging Engineering since 2017. He also supervises doctoral research in cybersecurity and data analytics. 

That’s why the goal of our lecture was to show students how HPC technologies can practically support innovation in business—across various sectors, from manufacturing and healthcare to energy and the automotive industry. The lecture also included an open discussion, during which we explored with the students specific ways HPC can be applied—ranging from optimizing production processes and predictive modeling of consumer behavior to developing sustainable products. We also shared case studies demonstrating how HPC gives companies a competitive edge—whether through cost savings, reduced time requirements, or improved output quality.

We’re very pleased to see the students’ active interest in modern technologies and their connection to business. We believe that expert lectures like this can help young people better understand current trends, broaden their horizons, and gain inspiration for their further studies or future career paths.

We’re very pleased to see the students’ active interest in modern technologies and their connection to business. We believe that expert lectures like this can help young people better understand current trends, broaden their horizons, and gain inspiration for their further studies or future career paths.

The Devana supercomputer can handle over 800 trillion operations per second. What would take a regular laptop the entire summer, Devana can process in a single night. This computing power is already being practically applied in scientific research, industrial simulations, artificial intelligence, and the development of new technologies without the need for physical testing.

Supercomputers can be used to solve tasks across a wide range of fields – from physics, chemistry, and bioinformatics, to materials science, medicine, and diagnostics, all the way to advanced industrial simulations. This computing power supports companies in optimizing production, developing new products, and implementing elements of Industry 4.0. Real-world examples speak clearly: optimization of CFD computations for the company SharkAero anomaly detection to prevent problem gambling in collaboration with Codium or named entity recognition in transcribed speech using synthetic data at Nettle These applications demonstrate that high-performance computing has practical use not only in science but also in real industrial and societal context.

We provide our services through a “one-stop-shop” approach – offering both companies and academic institutions access to computing power, expert consultations, training, online courses, and the implementation of pilot projects. At the same time, we connect Slovak entities with supercomputing centers across Europe through EuroHPC JU calls. The presentation for SARIO also included a vision of how Slovakia can effectively leverage this infrastructure to strengthen its competitiveness – not just as a place where innovations are implemented, but as a center of research and development where innovations are actually created.

During our presentation, we emphasized that computing infrastructure like Devana significantly shortens development cycles and reduces costs. Where physical prototypes were once necessary, realistic simulations now take place – whether in automotive aerodynamics, crash testing, new material design, or drug development. The results are clear: faster development, fewer errors, more efficient production, and a lower environmental footprint.

By combining technological infrastructure with investment policy, an attractive environment is created for both domestic and international partners. This positions Slovakia to become a leader in digital innovation in Central Europe. The Devana supercomputer and the National Competence Centre for HPC are not just projects for the academic community – they are ready to actively engage with the real economic and industrial landscape. 

A session dedicated to the future of microprocessor architectures also drew significant attention, with experts presenting the latest development trends, hardware challenges, and the importance of investing in European-designed solutions. In the afternoon, discussions shifted toward the development of the application ecosystem, focusing on how to create an environment where research and innovation can fully leverage supercomputing capabilities.

The second day focused on several important topics — particularly human resources, compute capacity sharing, and security. We were pleased to see a strong emphasis on talent development and the support of young researchers, which is also a key priority for us. Another highlight was the session on quantum initiatives and their connection to supercomputing, as this is a topic that will become increasingly relevant in the coming years.

The third day featured presentations of real-world applications of HPC technologies and provided space for live demonstrations. The Demo Lab was one of the most engaging parts of the entire summit: supercomputing centers showcased their solutions, demonstrated computational models, and engaged in discussions with participants about specific challenges. Equally inspiring were the meetings with representatives of user communities and the presentations of upcoming research challenges.

As part of the EuroHPC Summit, two meetings were also held within the EuroCC project. The first one focused on discussions with our project team, where we talked about the future direction of the project, our goals, and planned activities. It was both a pleasant and productive meeting that helped align expectations and share updates on our current progress.

The second meeting took place within the Central European working group, where we exchanged experiences with representatives from neighboring countries’ national centers and discussed specific challenges, opportunities, and forms of collaboration. Sharing best practices and ideas in this way is always highly valuable for us, and we’re glad to see this group actively growing and evolving.

Participating in the EuroHPC Summit was a truly inspiring experience for us. We explored the latest trends in HPC, AI, and quantum technologies, met with experts from across Europe, and established new connections that could lead to exciting collaborations. We’re glad to have been part of the discussion on the future of supercomputing in Europe — and we’re already looking forward to the next edition.

Photo: EuroHPC

We discussed how supercomputing technologies could be used to support research in agriculture, food production, environmental protection, and sustainable development. The conversation also touched on education and the training of a new generation of experts, as we explored ways to provide students and research teams with access to real-world data and computational models.

A shared interest of both parties is to explore ways in which high-performance computing infrastructure can streamline data processing, provide new insights into current challenges in agriculture, and expand opportunities for both research and the practical application of results. 

We agreed to formalize our collaboration through a memorandum and to provide SPU with access to the Devana supercomputer, enabling the university’s research teams—who are already working on interesting projects—to make use of its capabilities.

Venovali sme sa najmä témam spojeným s energetikou, obnoviteľnými zdrojmi a životným prostredím – a tomu, ako môže spracovanie veľkého množstva dát pomôcť pri efektívnejšom plánovaní, rozhodovaní či vývoji inovatívnych riešení.

We also discussed how joint projects could contribute to education and support the younger generation of professionals. Working with real data, simulations, and modern technologies offers students and young experts a valuable opportunity to expand their knowledge and gain hands-on experience that can help them thrive in the rapidly changing world of energy and environmental science.

Both sides expressed interest in identifying specific areas where our collaboration could grow — whether in research, development, or educational activities. The discussions reflected a strong interest in innovation and openness to technology, creating a solid foundation for a meaningful partnership. We agreed to continue our cooperation and to facilitate access to the Devana supercomputer.

This collaboration is very important to us — it represents a significant step toward innovation in the field of sustainable energy and opens up new opportunities for regional development as well as for supporting a talented younger generation.

The event, organized by the Regional Centre Nitra under the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic, provided an ideal platform for connecting research, development, and business practice. The National Competence Centre for HPC, implemented by the NSCC, had the honor of being part of this important dialogue and of showing participants how Slovak companies can leverage computing resources and expert support.

In our presentation, we highlighted specific areas where HPC can bring significant added value – from product development and testing, through data analysis and process optimization, to the implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Supercomputers are no longer the exclusive domain of research institutions – on the contrary, their computing power is now accessible even to small and medium-sized enterprises seeking innovative solutions and aiming to maintain a competitive edge. We introduced the National Competence Centre for HPC as a “one-stop shop” and the main contact point in Slovakia for access to high-performance computing technologies.

The seminar welcomed several experts and institutions dedicated to supporting innovation and digital transformation. The Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency (SIEA) presented programs focused on energy efficiency and innovative projects. The Research and Innovation Authority (VAIA) provided insights into the state's strategic direction in the field of research and development. The Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (SPU) showcased outcomes from its research and applied projects, such as AgroBioTech, the Food Incubator, and the SPU Creative Centre. The Slovak Centre for Digital Innovation (SCDI) highlighted the challenges faced by Slovak SMEs in implementing digital solutions, while regional clusters like the Ipeľ Energy and Environmental Cluster and INOVATO CLUSTER emphasized the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing in the fields of energy, technology, and the environment.

The closing discussion revealed a strong willingness to collaborate among the public sector, research institutions, and businesses. Specific synergies and needs were identified that could lead to new joint projects and more efficient use of available resources. Creating space for experience sharing and connecting expert capacities is a key element in developing an innovative business environment and ensuring sustainable growth.

We are glad to have been part of this event and to present the practical benefits of HPC. Our goal is to show that compute-intensive technologies are accessible to everyone who wants to innovate, digitalize, and strengthen their market position. Thanks to initiatives like this one, we are moving closer to the vision of a modern, innovative, and competitive economy—where knowledge, technology, and collaboration are the main driving forces of progress. 

As part of the seminar, we presented the activities of the National Competence Center for HPC, which in Slovakia is managed by the National Supercomputing Centre. In our presentation, we focused on the possibilities of utilizing high-performance computing technologies to support the digital transformation of businesses, optimize processes, and foster innovation across various industries.

We discussed:

• the benefits of supercomputing technologies for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
• how companies can gain access to HPC technologies and enhance their competitiveness
• successful collaborations between academia, research organizations, and the business sector

The event provided an excellent platform for discussions on connecting research, industry, and the public sector. It was inspiring to see various stakeholders share their perspectives on digital transformation and support for innovation to drive Slovakia's economic development.

Thank you to the organizers for the invitation and the opportunity to present our activities. We look forward to future collaborations that will contribute to the development of the digital economy and innovation in the business environment!