Data Valley

The Big Data Technopole - Bologna Hub is an international digital that represents the core of the hub hosting HPC infrastructures, namely: 

world class pre-exascale HPC supercomputer that will be one of the three precursors to Exascale Supercomputer at European level, ECMWF data centre, the new CINECA-INFN complex (National Institute of Nuclear Physics), the Competence Center Industry 4.0 BI-REX, the bio-banks of the Rizzoli Institute of Bologna, the Regional Agency for meteo forecasts, environmental protection and energy ARPAE Emilia-Romagna, ENEA, as well as small and large companies.

European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Data Centre - www.ecmwf.int

The new ECMWF data centre opened in September 2021 on the site of the ‘Tecnopolo di Bologna’ and represents a key asset of the regional Data Valley with its new Atos BullSequana supercomputer system. ECMWF is an intergovernmental organisation supported by 34 states with head offices in the UK, data centre in Bologna and offices in Bonn. Bologna won the European competition to host the data centre because of its “high-level services and logistics infrastructures” and offer of “important opportunities of technical and scientific synergies”. The centre facilitates the continuation of investigative work into the field of machine learning in numerical weather prediction, as well as the use of advanced high-performance computing, big data and AI methodologies to create a digital twin of the Earth with a breakthrough in realism.

Big Data Association - www.associazionebigdata.it

The Associazione Big Data was set up to interconnect and jointly exploit the knowledge, research and innovation potentials of high performance computing, big data analysis, deep and machine learning algorithms, high bandwidth networks. The Association is open to national and international stakeholders from the scientific, research and business communities and aggregates public organisations managing facilities and possessing skills and knowledge relating to big data, their applications and possible impact on the daily lives of citizens. More than 90% of supercomputing resources for public research in Italy are managed by association’s members.

Super Computers

EU chose the ‘Big Data Technopole - Bologna Hub’ as location of the new supercomputer Leonardo, worth 120 million euros, positioning the region among the world’s top computing hubs.

Bi-Rex Competence Center - www.bi-rex.it

The Bi-Rex - Big Data Innovation and Research Excellence is a Competence Center coordinated by the University of Bologna with a group of 57 stakeholders including five regional universities (Bologna, Ferrara, Modena-Reggio, Parma, La Cattolica), organizations part of the regional research system such as CINECA, CNR, ART-ER, IOR, INFN as well as companies among which IBM, Philip Morris, Siemens, Manz Ag and many other regional excellences.

CINECA - www.cineca.it

CINECA is a Consortium composed by 98 universities and public institutions, led by a Board comprising the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of University and Research. Cineca's supercomputers are among the most important in Europe and worldwide, always present in the Top 500 list of the most powerful supercomputers in the world.

International Foundation on Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for Human Development - www.ifabfoundation.org

The Foundation aims to be an independent and influential international point of reference for the scientific and cultural debate on human development, sustainability and new science. Its main objectives are: reinforcing, enhancing and promoting scientific research and its cross-disciplinary implications, with particular focus on BD and AI; designing scenarios related to economic and social transformations in connection with climate change, health crisis and other great challenges of our time; dissemination of the role and potential of AI and BD in addressing global issues with an impact on people’s lives.

Regional High Technology Network - www.retealtatecnologia.it

Discover the High Technology Network industrial research offering in ‘Digital’ competences.