What initially started as a bold vision began turning into reality fifteen years ago. This year, the IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Center celebrates the 15th anniversary of its establishment. Over this period, the original IT4Innovations Center of Excellence project, supported by European Structural Funds, has evolved into a respected supercomputing centre that today supports science, industry, and the public sector, while also participating in strategic European initiatives in high-performance computing, data processing, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies.
On 24 May 2011, the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports approved nearly a CZK 2 billion grant from European funding for the establishment of the IT4Innovations Center of Excellence, led by VSB – Technical University of Ostrava together with the University of Ostrava, Silesian University in Opava, Brno University of Technology, and the Institute of Geonics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The project marked the beginning of the systematic development of supercomputing and computational sciences in the Czech Republic. As part of the centre’s development, the Anselm and later the Salomon supercomputers were installed, providing Czech researchers with access to world-class computing power.
From the very beginning, the goal was to create not only a computing infrastructure but also a competence centre focused on practical applications beyond academic research. IT4Innovations gradually established strong links with industry and the public sector and began providing expertise and computing capacities for areas such as materials and drug design, engineering simulations, modelling in energy and transportation, and advanced data analytics.
“When I look back, the biggest milestone was the transformation from a project into a stable institution with a solid position in the European research landscape. From the start, we were building not only technologies but also a highly skilled team. Today, we are a fully integrated part of European structures and a sought-after partner for leading European centres,” says Vít Vondrák, IT4Innovations Managing Director.
The original Centre of Excellence project was followed by the Path to Exascale project, under which the Barbora and Karolina supercomputers were acquired. After its launch, Karolina became the most powerful supercomputer in the Czech Republic, ranking among Europe´s most energy-efficient systems. After its launch, Karolina became not only the most powerful supercomputer in the Czech Republic but also one of the most energy-efficient systems in Europe. Moreover, it was one of the first supercomputers deployed under the EuroHPC initiative.
Since 2018, IT4Innovations has been involved in most activities of the European EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which coordinates the development of cutting-edge European supercomputing, quantum, and AI infrastructure. EuroHPC also co-funded the Karolina and LUMI supercomputers, as well as VLQ, the first Czech quantum computer.
Artificial intelligence and quantum technologies are attracting unprecedented attention today, and IT4Innovations continues to play an active role in their development. Last year, the first Czech quantum computer, called VLQ, was launched in Ostrava. It is interconnected with the Karolina supercomputer and serves research into hybrid supercomputing and quantum applications.
IT4Innovations recently became the coordinator of the Czech AI Factory and is also part of the LUMI AI Factory initiative. These projects enable the use of supercomputers to deploy AI tools across institutions in Europe and support the education of new AI specialists. As a result, Czech companies, startups, public administration bodies, and research institutions gain access to services that facilitate AI adoption and strengthen the Czech Republic's competitiveness in this field.
“Supercomputers are no longer just tools for science. They support industry innovation, improve the efficiency of public institutions, enhance crisis response, and enable the training of AI models for a wide range of applications. Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the demands placed on computing power and data processing,” adds Vondrák.
Over the past 15 years, IT4Innovations has established itself as one of Europe’s leading centres in supercomputing, large-scale data processing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. Today, it employs more than 200 experts from different countries, collaborates with leading European institutions, and contributes to projects shaping the future of digital Europe.
Looking ahead, IT4Innovations aims to continue developing European supercomputing, quantum, and AI infrastructure, strengthening international cooperation, and preparing the Czech Republic for the next generation of advanced digital technologies. Ostrava has thus firmly established itself as one of the places where the technologies of the future are being developed.