The purchase contract with the French company Atos was signed on Monday. It is a €30.4 million project, two-thirds of the cost of which is borne by the State, with the remainder financed by the European Commission.
A supercomputer enables companies to significantly increase their computing capacity. One company, for instance, has already shown interest: a task that now takes two to three weeks to complete could be completed by MeluXina in three days. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel explained that for Luxembourg, it is essential to be at the cutting edge of technology, stating that it is about "being in the locomotive and not in one of the wagons".
Even if such a technology quickly becomes obsolete, the investment is worth it, says Minister of the Economy Franz Fayot. Five to six years after the installation of the supercomputer, LuxProvide and EuroHPC, its two operators in Luxembourg, will have to make new investments in order to remain up-to-date. But the project will be profitable, given the interest it is generating in Luxembourg, according to Fayot. Researchers will also be able to benefit from this new technology.
