As part of the DARE project, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center will coordinate the development of Europe’s hardware and software ecosystem with an initial investment of €240m.
The DARE (Digital Autonomy with RISC-V Europe) project for developing high-performance computing chips is considered “a large-scale strategic initiative that, in terms of impact and investment, could be as groundbreaking as CERN, Galileo, or Airbus.”
A statement issued by the Government of the Generalitat provides more details about this initiative, which was announced last Friday following the meeting between the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa.
DARE project develops critical high-performance supercomputers
Half of the investment in the DARE project, €120m, will be provided by the European Commission through EuroHPC JU (European Joint Undertaking for High-Performance Computing).
The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities will contribute €34.4m, while the rest of the funding will come from contributions from 45 European partners participating in the project.
The Barcelona Supercomputing Center – National Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), home to the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer, will lead the development of the hardware and software ecosystem for critical high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence applications over the next three years.
RISC-V is a type of open-source architecture for designing processors, so no licensing fees are required.
Its significance lies in its potential to pave the way for European technological sovereignty, which currently relies on American and Asian companies in the chip field.
Ensuring Europe’s independence in the digital ecosystem
The BSC has been working for 10 years on developing RISC-V chips and has already coordinated the EPI (European Processor Initiative) project.
The centre’s director, Mateo Valero, explained that DARE “will develop the hardware and software ecosystem needed to create European supercomputers like the future MareNostrum 6, autonomous cars, and an ethical European AI.”
Europe needs its own technology that ensures the security and autonomy of its digital infrastructures.
The Minister of Science, Innovation, and Universities, Diana Morant, stated: “The DARE project will position Spain on the European map for the development of chips, a key strategic sector to address complex issues in areas such as health, climate change, and energy.”
