Last Friday, we had the pleasure of gathering in the beautiful Wassersaal at the Orangerie in Erlangen to celebrate the EUMaster4HPC Ceremony, honouring the achievements of the second cohort of students in the programme. The evening was filled with inspiration, recognition, and community — a true reflection of the spirit that drives the European HPC (High Performance Computing) ecosystem.

A Warm Welcome and Inspiring Speeches

The event opened with a heartfelt welcome from Prof. Dr. Harald Köstler, setting a warm and celebratory tone for the evening. A series of engaging and insightful speeches followed, delivered by distinguished representatives from partner institutions:

• Prof. Dr. Andreas Hirsch, Vice President People at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Dr. Johnatan E. Pecero, University of Luxembourg, on behalf of Pascal Bouvry, Coordinator of the project
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Fey, Chair of Computer Science 3 – Computer Architecture at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wellein, Professor for High Performance Computing and Head of Erlangen National High Performance Computing Center (NHR@FAU)

Each speaker shared their insights on the importance of collaboration, innovation, and education in shaping the future of high-performance computing in Europe.

A captivating keynote on the future of HPC

One of the highlight of the ceremony was the keynote lecture by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Ruede (Chair of Computer Science 10 – System Simulation, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg), titled “Fast Solvers – Natural Intelligence at the Exascale.” His talk captivated the audience, illustrating the cutting-edge research and forward-thinking spirit that define the HPC community.

Honouring student achievements

Daniel Opalka, Head of Unit R&I at EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), shared thoughtful remarks on behalf of Anders Dam Jensen before joining Prof. Köstler on stage to present the certificates to the students. The ceremony celebrated not just academic success, but also the collaborative and innovative spirit of the EUMaster4HPC community.

A celebration of community

The evening concluded with a friendly buffet reception, where students from all cohorts came together to celebrate, exchange experiences, and build new connections. These moments of shared joy and reflection underscored the importance of nurturing the next generation of the European HPC community.

Gratitude and acknowledgements

A heartfelt thank you goes out to our wonderful hosts and organisers — Prof. Dr. Harald Köstler, Alexandra Lukas-Rother, Dr. Felix Schmutterer, and the entire team at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg — for creating such a memorable and inspiring celebration.