The Gdansk University of Technology is completing the STOS Competence Centre project, which will house one of the fastest supercomputers in Europe today. The opening of one of the most modern IT centres in this part of Europe is likely to take place in the first quarter of next year.

The facility was built on the campus of the Gdansk University of Technology, specifically on the slope of Mount Szubieniczna in Gdansk Wrzeszcz. It houses the so-called ‘bunker’, a place with a complex of server rooms and one of the fastest supercomputers in Europe, enabling the collection, processing, and archiving of huge data sets, as well as the performance of complex simulations in scientific research.

CK STOS will be the new headquarters of the IT Centre of the Tri-City Academic Computer Network of the Gdansk University of Technology. The new unit will bring a new quality to Polish science and strengthen the image of Gdansk and Pomerania in the academic Europe. The centre will be equipped with state-of-the-art computers and workspaces for scientists, engineers, and students.

“Once the complex and the supercomputer itself are up and running, we will be able to conduct advanced research and solve problems in practically all areas of our lives, including medicine, biotechnology, physics and even astronomy”, says Rector of the Gdansk University of Technology Prof. Krzysztof Wilde.

The investment will support implementation research and contribute to the commercialisation of research projects carried out by scientists. The base cost of the CK STOS project is PLN 156 million, of which PLN 90.1 million is funded by the EU from the European Regional Development Fund. Additional funds will be used by the university to equip the centre with additional equipment, including supercomputer components. In total, the investment will cost around PLN 250 million.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński