Moldova Joins the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking

The adhesion of Moldova to the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking is a new step towards bringing together a wide range of actors to reinforce Europe’s supercomputing infrastructure, foster scientific excellence, and boost innovation across Europe. 

Since January 2012, the Republic of Moldova has been actively participating in the European Union (EU) Research and Innovation programmes. As a Horizon 2020-associated third country, researchers from academia, research institutes, public authorities, and industry based in Moldova were already able to access EuroHPC supercomputers to support their research. 

Moldova is now becoming a full participating state of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking.  As a result, cooperation between the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and Moldavian researchers will be further reinforced. Moldavian scientists will now be eligible to apply for EuroHPC JU Research & Innovation calls funded under Horizon Europe, which are supporting the development of supercomputing technologies, applications, and software.  Also, as a signatory of the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) since February 2024,  Moldova will now be able to contribute to the deployment of the EuroHPC  AI Factories network and other calls in the area of supercomputing competences and skills fostering the growth of a highly competitive and innovative AI ecosystem in Europe. 

Moldova is joining other EuroHPC JU participating states who are not EU members states. These include Albania, Iceland, Israel, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey and the United Kingdom. They are all cooperating with the EU to advance its mission of achieving strategic autonomy in high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing, and to help build a world-class supercomputing ecosystem in Europe.

Anders Dam Jensen, Executive Director of the EuroHPC JU, stated:  

“We are delighted to welcome Moldova as the newest member of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. This expansion reinforces European collaboration on high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies across the entire continent.

Doina Nistor, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalisation, added: 

"Innovation is not just a goal for Moldova—it's a national priority and a driving force for the future. Joining the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking empowers our country to invest in breakthrough technologies, accelerate our research capacity, and elevate Moldova as a leader in Europe's digital transformation. We are committed to harnessing this opportunity to place innovation at the very heart of our country's development agenda.”

Dan Perciun, Minister of Education and Research, concluded:

"Our priority is to modernise Moldova’s research and education, creating an environment where talented youth and researchers can thrive. By investing in world-class infrastructure and fostering international collaboration, we are building the foundation for a knowledge-based society and ensuring every Moldovan has the opportunity to contribute to Europe’s scientific and technological advancement. Joining the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking is a key part of this strategy, as it provides Moldova access to state-of-the-art supercomputing resources and partnerships that will significantly boost our research capacity and innovation potential in line with European priorities.”

Background

The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) is a legal and funding entity created in 2018 to enable the European Union and EuroHPC JU participating countries to coordinate their efforts and pool their resources with the objective of making Europe a world leader in supercomputing. 

In order to equip Europe with a world-leading supercomputing infrastructure, the EuroHPC JU has already procured eleven supercomputers located across Europe. Three of these EuroHPC supercomputers are now ranked among the world’s top 10 most powerful supercomputers: JUPITER in Germany ranks at 4, becoming Europe’s new fastest supercomputer along with LUMI in Finland (9^th place) and  Leonardo in Italy (10^th place). Through the EuroHPC Access Calls, European scientists and users from the public sector and industry can benefit from these EuroHPC supercomputers, which rank among the world’s most powerful.   

Currently, the EuroHPC JU is also overseeing the implementation of 13 AI factories across Europe that offer free, customised support to SMEs and startups. 

The EuroHPC JU is also deploying a European Quantum Computing infrastructure, integrating diverse European quantum computing technologies with existing supercomputers.  EuroHPC JU already inaugurated PIAST-Q in Poznań, Poland and VLQ in Ostrava, Czechia,  marking a milestone in Europe’s leap into the quantum era.

In parallel, the EuroHPC JU is investing in research and innovation projects to develop a full European supercomputing supply chain: from processors and software to applications to be run on these supercomputers and know-how to develop strong European HPC expertise.