Sweden is a proud consortium member of the LUMI supercomputer. ENCCS visited LUMI in Kajaani in Finland to learn more about the current fastest supercomputer in Europe. We met with the rest of the consortium countries, as well as experts at CSC who delved into the uniqueness of LUMI, providing a comprehensive overview of the whole data center.
LUMI and sustainability
LUMI is based in Kajaani, Finland in a highly efficient and sustainable data center that uses 100% renewable energy sources for its operation. As Mikko Kerttula (Program Manager, Advanced Computing Facility in CSC) explains “it’s crucial to find ways to make data centers more sustainable“. He continues by mentioning that AI development alone during the past years demands a significant amount of energy, having an annual growth rate of 26%-36%.
One of the reasons why LUMI is located in Kajaani is because of its access to renewable electricity and the possibility of heat reuse. The data center provides 26.7 GWh worth of energy per year in district heating, contributing to a climate-neutral operation and cutting costs for the city of Kajaani.
LUMI’s location also provides excellent connectivity and an ecosystem that supports education, personnel, and research & development partners. In fact, several companies like HPE and ATOS have offices in Kajaani as well.
LUMI and AI development
LUMI’s innovation capacity is evident in the AI development projects that have used its supercomputing resources and ecosystem. Katja Mankinen, a Data Scientist working on the AI Development Program at CSC and LUMI, presented several AI cases where LUMI shines. Generative AI models are one such area where LUMI is making important progress, such as the Poro and Viking Nordic large language models that have been developed using LUMI’s computational resources. The center also explores AI applications in material science and healthcare.
Furthermore, there are various industry cases where LUMI has contributed to innovative solutions. For instance, multiple companies like Ramboll, SILO.AI, Supersight, ICEYE and others have all benefited from the power of LUMI’s supercomputer.
In conclusion, the LUMI supercomputer in Kajaani stands out as a highly sustainable data center that harnesses renewable energy sources and offers the perfect support ecosystem for cutting-edge R&D for applications across various industries.
You too can access LUMI!
Your company, or organisation can harness LUMI’s computational power today. Learn more about the available EuroHPC JU Access Calls here, or contact ENCCS to find out more about what LUMI can offer.
