JUPITER: Europe’s First Exascale Supercomputer
Entering a New Dimension of Computing
JUPITER, located at Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany, has become Europe’s first supercomputer to exceed 1 ExaFLOP/s—the equivalent of one quintillion calculations per second. To put it into perspective, that’s comparable to the combined power of one million modern smartphones.
To house this technological milestone, the Modular Data Centre was constructed at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. Built in just eight months, it consists of 50 container modules specifically designed to support JUPITER’s immense computing infrastructure.
Powering JUPITER: Nvidia Grace Hopper Superchips
At JUPITER’s core lies the booster module from Eviden, powered by 24,000 Nvidia Grace Hopper Superchips. Each chip functions as a mini supercomputer, optimized for both scientific research and artificial intelligence.
When used for AI training, JUPITER achieves over 40 ExaFLOP/s, making it one of the most powerful AI supercomputers in the world. This level of performance allows it to train a large foundation model with 100 billion parameters in just one week.
Complementing the booster is the cluster module from ParTec, the first system to use processors developed in Europe. This module is particularly suited for complex, data-intensive workloads.
JUPITER as an AI Platform
JUPITER is more than just a traditional supercomputer. Through the JUPITER AI Factory, it is evolving into a complete AI platform. Its cloud infrastructure, known as JARVIS, enables researchers to fine-tune pre-trained AI models and apply them to new tasks, a process called inference.
Storage and Networking at Unprecedented Scale
Massive computing power requires equally massive storage. JUPITER’s data hall delivers this capacity, with all modules linked by a high-speed network capable of transferring data at three times the speed of the entire global internet.
Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
JUPITER is not only powerful but also highly energy efficient. Its first module is currently the most efficient supercomputer in history, thanks to advanced processor hardware combined with a state-of-the-art water-cooling system developed by Eviden.
Heat is dissipated through the rooftop directly into the ambient air. In the near future, the system will also reuse waste heat to warm nearby buildings—further advancing its commitment to sustainability.
A Future-Ready Modular Architecture
Designed with a modular architecture, JUPITER is ready to integrate future technologies such as quantum computing and neuromorphic systems. This positions it at the forefront of solving today’s most challenging problems—many of which are still considered unsolvable.
Shaping Europe’s Computing Future
With JUPITER, Europe has entered a new era of supercomputing, combining unprecedented performance, AI capabilities, and sustainability. More than just a machine, it is a platform for the future of science, technology, and innovation in Europe.
*Image by DC Studio on Freepik
