HANAMI High-Level Symposium 1: A Key Opportunity to Strengthen Europe-Japan Collaboration in High-Performance Computing (HPC)

by Chema Arcos

The event, held in Castelldefels (Barcelona) from 13 to 15 January, brought together leading international figures in the field of HPC applications and was attended by several ICN2 representatives.

The HANAMI project, funded by Horizon Europe and involving the ICN2 Theory and Simulation Group, aims to promote cooperation between the European Union and Japan in the field of High-Performance Computing (HPC). Through various actions, this initiative aims to promote dialogue, exchange of ideas and access to infrastructures between both actors. One of these actions was the 1^st HANAMI High-Level Symposium, which took place from 13 to 15 January 2025 in Castelldefels, Barcelona.

It was conceived as part of a strategy to strengthen cooperation between the two powers, focusing on demonstrating how HPC can make a difference in key areas such as climate, materials science and biomedicine. Over the event's three days, various forums were organised for debates and talks. Several of these were given by ICN2 researchers and covered a wide range of topics:

Prof. Pablo Ordejón (Head of the Theory and Simulation Group and ICN2 Director): QM/MM simulations of the electrochemical interface.
Dr José Hugo García (Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience Group): Spin-orbit torque in two-dimensional materials as a platform for efficient and non-volatile memories.
Dr Nils Wittemeier (Theory and Simulation Group): Simulating advanced materials: new and upcoming features in SIESTA.

HANAMI actively involves several partners from the "MaX Centre of Excellence" project, including ICN2, CNR-Nano, CINECA, CEA, and the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. This shows that strong collaboration is key for advancing computational materials design within the European HPC mission.

For ICN2 members involved in the HANAMI project, the event was also a great opportunity to meet and work with Prof. Minoru Otani (University of Tsukuba, Japan), a reference in the field of first-principles computational electrochemistry. Overall, this symposium was an important step towards finding innovative solutions to major global challenges through HPC.