EuroHPC JU and RIKEN R-CCS Sign LOI to Expand Access to Supercomputer Fugaku for HANAMI Project

TOP Events & Outreach News & Announcements EuroHPC JU and RIKEN R-CCS Sign LOI to Expand Access to Supercomputer Fugaku for HANAMI Project

On June 11, 2025, during ISC2025, a leading international conference in the field of computational science, the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) ^[1] and RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS) held a signing ceremony for a Letter of Intent (LOI) to expand access to the supercomputer Fugaku ^[2]. This agreement will enable a greater number of research institutions participating in the HANAMI Project ^[3] to utilize Fugaku for advanced scientific research.

The HANAMI Consortium was established in 2024 to bring together leading research institutions and supercomputing centers from Europe and Japan to address global challenges in exascale computing and beyond. The consortium comprises institutions affiliated with EuroHPC JU and HPCI system organizations ^[4] such as R-CCS and the University of Tokyo and conducts collaborative research under the HANAMI Project framework.

The project focuses on three primary research areas:

WP4: Climate and weather modelling
WP5: Biomedical applications
WP6: HPC for future materials design

Left: Satoshi Matsuoka, Director of the RIKEN R-CCS Right: Anders Jensen, Executive Director of the EuroHPC JU

R-CCS actively contributes to each of these work packages.

As collaboration between European and Japanese research institutions deepens, the demand for access to Fugaku has increased significantly. To accelerate research across the HANAMI Project, there has been a growing need to establish an environment that allows more participating institutions to utilize Fugaku.

Until now, R-CCS had signed individual agreements with certain EuroHPC JU-affiliated institutions, enabling them to conduct research using Fugaku. However, members of the HANAMI Project from institutions without such agreements were unable to access the system, despite expressing strong interest in doing so.

In response to this situation, EuroHPC JU and R-CCS engaged in extensive discussions under the HANAMI framework. As a result, they have now signed a Letter of Intent to facilitate broader access to Fugaku for researchers involved in the project.

Looking ahead, Fugaku—Japan’s world-class computational platform—is expected to play a central role in advancing cutting-edge research and addressing societal challenges through the HANAMI Project, a flagship collaborative initiative in computational science between Europe and Japan.

[1]EuroHPC Joint Undertaking: The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) (EuroHPC Website)
[2]Supercomputer Fugaku: It aims to contribute to Japan's growth in solving social and scientific challenges and producing world-leading achievements in terms of power efficiency, computational performance, ease of use, creation of breakthrough results, and overall capability to accelerate big data and AI. As the world's highest-level supercomputer, it started its shared use in March 2021. Fugaku is currently utilized as an essential HPC infrastructure to achieve Japan's goal of Society 5.0.
[3]HANAMI Project: HANAMI Consortium (HANAMI Project Website)
[4]HPCI system organizations: In Japan, there is a system that allows universities and research institutions to use supercomputers across the country as if they were one massive, unified machine. This system is called HPCI (High Performance Computing Infrastructure). HPCI connects high-performance computing systems and data storage facilities located throughout Japan via a high-speed network, enabling researchers to access and utilize these resources efficiently from anywhere. For example, a researcher at a university in Tokyo can harness the power of supercomputers located in Hokkaido or Kyushu to run complex simulations or analyze large datasets. Thanks to this system, groundbreaking research is being conducted in a wide range of fields, including medicine, meteorology and energy. It also plays a key role in nurturing young researchers and expanding the use of supercomputing in academic and industrial communities. HPCI is a vital pillar supporting the advancement of science and technology in Japan, while also enhancing the country’s global competitiveness. HPCI Website

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