Openchip, NEC and Barcelona Supercomputing Center studying Collaboration to develop Next Generation Supercomputers based on RISC-V

Barcelona / Tokyo -- November 18, 2024 – Openchip, NEC and the Barcelona Supercomputing  Center are studying collaboration to develop the new Openchip Vector Computing Accelerator for  use in supercomputing data centers. This collaboration shall mark a significant milestone in the  global supercomputing industry.  

Openchip is a Spanish silicon engineering company that has received a grant and has been  funded by the European Union-Next Generation EU supported by the European Union, and the  Spanish government under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. The company’s  mission is to develop System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions based on RISC-V architecture, integrated  with artificial intelligence accelerator chiplets. 

These processors will optimize computing workloads to accelerate scientific research in areas  such as genomic computing, personalized medicine, weather forecasting, engineering  simulations, protein design for new medicines and vaccines, astrophysics, and more. The Vector  Computing Processors will benefit from the design expertise of the Barcelona Supercomputing  Center, along with NEC’s more than three decades of leadership in supercomputing architectures,  including their renowned SX Series line of vector supercomputers. 

NEC will provide technical support for the Openchip Vector Computing Processor based on their  extensive years of experience. 

Kondo Masaki, Senior Director of HPC at NEC, remarks: “We are pleased to join forces with  Openchip, a promising company in the chip industry, and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center,  a globally recognized hub of research and innovation. Our ambition is to remain a global leader  in supercomputing, addressing the demands of high-performance workloads such as advanced  simulations, forecasting, genomic computing, large language models, and more. We strive to  contribute to society by supporting progress in science and research.” 

Mateo Valero, Director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, comments: “We are witnessing a historic moment in the technology industry, where supercomputing data  centers are becoming a critical component of societal progress. Supercomputing workloads are  evolving rapidly, with major impacts across various scientific and research disciplines. The  accelerating demand for artificial intelligence highlights the need for major innovations in  computing technologies, and we are proud to contribute to Openchip and NEC’s ambition to  design the next generation of vector computing processors.” 

Francesc Guim Bernat, CEO of Openchip, comments: “This collaboration demonstrates the  potential of RISC-V-based chips to meet the demanding needs of artificial intelligence and  supercomputing. It showcases the advantages of a more flexible and open value chain for chip  design and production. We recognize NEC as an undisputed global leader in supercomputing,  and we are proud to enter this strategic collaboration, which further strengthens our partnership  with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. This agreement reflects our shared commitment to  collaboration, openness and trust in supporting the European Union’s digital sovereignty by  fostering a more resilient semiconductor value chain, ultimately benefiting the global technology  industry. 

About NEC Corporation

 Grant UNICO-IPCEI-2023-001 funded by the European Union-Next Generation EU:  

NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of ITand network technologies while  promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and  communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the  social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone  has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at 

https://www.nec.com. 

https://www.nec.com/en/global/solutions/hpc/ 

About BSC  

BSC is one of the leading supercomputing centres in Europe and hosts one of the most powerful  supercomputers in the world, MareNostrum 5. It specialises in High Performance Computing (HPC) and has  a dual mission: to provide supercomputing infrastructure and services to the Spanish and European scientific  communities, and to generate knowledge and technology for transfer to society. The BSC consortium is  made up of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of the Government of Spain (60%), the  Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia (30%) and the Polytechnic  University of Catalonia (10%). The centre manages the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES) and is one  of the hosting entities of the EuroHPC JU, the European initiative leading large-scale investment and  deployment of HPC in Europe. 

About Openchip  

Openchip is a provider specialized in Systems on Chip (SoCs) based on the RISC-V architecture and  focused on High Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence. Founded in Barcelona, the company is  present in Spain and Italy, with the vision of leading the design of chips that will contribute to European digital  sovereignty, democratizing access to key technologies. Openchip’s solutions will accelerate research  activities in scientific fields – such as genomics, meteorology, protein design, astrophysics, energy,  aerospace and advanced simulation – which have a high social and transformative impact on society.