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RedCLARA and the Latin American and Caribbean High Performance Computing System (SCALAC) showcased collaborative initiatives leveraging high-performance computing (HPC) for research and sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean at the ISC High Performance 2024 conference. The event, held from 12-16 May in Hamburg, Germany, brought together industry professionals, academics, and researchers from around the world.

Representing RedCLARA were Carlos González, Manager of Services, and Tania Altamirano, Manager of Academic Relations, who presented the regional advanced network’s initiatives during the session "HPC in Latin America". The panel, attended by nearly 40 participants, also featured Guilherme Correa, General Coordinator of Digital Technologies at the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation; Fabrizio Gagliardi, Director of International Relations at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC); Carla Osthoff, researcher at the Brazilian National Laboratory for Scientific Computing; and Philippe Navaux, Professor and President of SCALAC.

In her presentation, "Bridging EU-LAC Collaborative Initiatives," Altamirano outline the collaborative efforts between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, emphasizing the key role of RedCLARA. “RedCLARA's HPC activities are carried out in collaboration with SCALAC, an organization thet emerged from the GISELA Project, which we have been officially supporting since 2019. SCALAC coordinates and defines strategic actions with its European and global partners. Notable initiatives include workshops at ISC in 2014, 2016 and 2018, where we presented and discussed joint projects between Europe and Latin America, and the Latin American HPC Conference (CARLA), which has been held annually since 2013. Through SCALAC, we have also supported training projects such as summer schools in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico, as well as international experiences such as the SC Camp in the United States,” Altamirano explained.

Altamirano also shared an example from the COVID-19 pandemic, during which RedCLARA and SCALAC supported the integration of HPC resources across Latin American centers to securely transfer biological data and support virus studies. This initiative involved centers such as Brazil’s LNCC, Chile’s NLHPC, Colombia’s SC3UIS, and Mexico’s CINVESTAV, as well as medical institutions from the continent.

Philippe Navaux, President of SCALAC, highlighted RedCLARA's crucial support from the beginning of SCALAC’s activities, which is essential not only for the development of HPC but also for future successes. “RedCLARA has been a key ally in SCALAC's plans, both institutionally and technologically, providing human resources, logistical support, and the interconnection needed for HPC groups to develop high-level projects and research,” Navaux emphasized.

Key projects include the Latin American Giant Observatory (LAGO), with its 17 particle observatories linked by RedCLARA’s infrastructure and SCALAC’s capabilities. “LAGO utilizes SCALAC-connected centers, such as the one at the Industrial University of Santander, to process and analyze data,” explains Carlos González. Another important project is LaConga Physics (Latin American Alliance for the Strengthening of Advanced Capacities in Physics), which aims to develop the capacities to use supercomputers in the study of astroparticles.

According to Tania Altamirano, these collaborative initiatives are shaping the global HPC landscape and will gain momentum with the transformative impact of the BELLA II project, which aims to bridge the digital divide and support the development of the necessary infrastructure to consolidate and expand a Latin American and Caribbean ecosystem of science, technology, education, and innovation.

“Through BELLA II, we are promoting high-impact with other regions, in terms of strategic actions and alliances. With all the work around the Europe-Latin America Digital Agenda, all the HPC resources provided by SCALAC are critical in generating strategiclines of development in AI, cloud computing, deep learning, quantum computing, etc. Our next steps include strengthening policies to ensure sustainability and increasing collaboration between Latin America and the Caribbean with Europe, Asia, and other regions,” concluded Altamirano.