• The BSC leads this new phase (2026-2028), promoting technology transfer and digital sovereignty.
  • With a clear international focus and a commitment to open source, the network integrates more than 40 research groups and key players such as Mobile World Capital and Tech Barcelona.
  • The project, funded by AGAUR, includes actions to accelerate spin-offs and valorize technologies to consolidate Catalonia as a supercomputing innovation hub.

The Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS) continues to lead the new phase of the X4HPC Network during the 2026-2028 period. This initiative, selected in the AGAUR call for R&D&I network funding, aims to transform scientific excellence into economic and social impact, acting as a bridge between research groups and the market.

Under the leadership of Anna Escoda, X4HPC is consolidating its position as the only network in Catalonia dedicated exclusively to high-performance computing (HPC). In this new phase, the project is taking a qualitative leap by incorporating an international perspective aligned with European technological sovereignty strategies, such as the European Chips Act and the EuroHPC initiative.

A robust and cross-cutting innovation ecosystem

Supercomputing is an enabling technology that impacts sectors as diverse as biomedicine, energy, Industry 4.0, and climate change. For this reason, X4HPC brings together an interdisciplinary ecosystem that includes universities, research centers (such as IRB, VHIR, and CIMNE), and hospitals.

New for the 2026-2028 period is the expansion of the network of stakeholders, including innovation support organizations such as Mobile World Capital, Tech Barcelona, ​​Foment del Treball, and Barcelona Activa, among others. These strategic partners will help identify business challenges and facilitate the entry of technologies.

A Commitment to Open Source and Entrepreneurship

One of the fundamental pillars of the new X4HPC is the promotion of Open-Source technologies, both in software and hardware (RISC-V chips), to ensure that solutions developed in Catalonia are accessible, sustainable, and contribute to Europe’s technological autonomy.

The action plan includes a set of key initiatives:

  • Valorization Program: Competitive calls for proposals to fund market research and business plans for the most promising technologies.
  • Innovation Journey: An entrepreneurship program that offers training and mentorship to researchers to foster the creation of new spin-offs. In the previous phase, the network contributed to the creation of 11 spin-off companies.
  • Open Innovation Day: Networking events to address real industry challenges through supercomputing-based solutions.

About X4HPC

The X4HPC Network is an initiative funded by the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia through the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR). Led by the BSC, it works to make Catalonia an international benchmark in high-performance technologies, based on values ​​such as scientific excellence, responsibility, and innovation.

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