With “Daedalus” up and running, Greece is seeking to strengthen its position on Europe’s artificial intelligence map. The inauguration of the new National Supercomputer at the Lavrio Technological and Cultural Park of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) — a place that links ancient mining activity with industrial development and now cutting-edge technologies — marked a new chapter in the country’s plans to develop high-performance computing infrastructure.
The next steps centre on the supercomputer in Kozani, NTUA’s “Icarus” and Greece’s participation in the next generation of European infrastructure, with the aim of strengthening its role in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem.
Daedalus and its capabilities
“Daedalus” is the most powerful computing system Greece has acquired to date. With a computing performance of 85.69 petaflops — equivalent to about 85.69 quadrillion calculations per second — it ranks 31st in the TOP500 global ranking of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, placing Greece among the 14 countries worldwide with such a strong presence on the list.
The supercomputer is based on an architecture from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and features NVIDIA GH200 accelerators, designed for demanding computing workloads and artificial intelligence applications.
It is a High Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure designed to process vast amounts of data and perform highly complex calculations.
With its development, the country gains new capabilities in scientific research, artificial intelligence and the development of advanced technological applications, strengthening its presence in the European and global supercomputing ecosystem.
The project has a total budget of €58.9 million, and the supercomputer has been installed at GRNET’s new Data Centre, in the historic building of the former power station at the Lavrio Technological and Cultural Park. The building, covering about 1,500 square metres, is a recognised industrial heritage site that has been transformed into a modern, high-tech facility.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also referred to the symbolic significance of installing the supercomputer at this site, noting: “Here we are building a bridge from the Second Industrial Revolution, from the early 20th century, when electricity was generated here, to the installation of a supercomputer with exceptional capabilities.”
As he stressed, the next step is “to make this tremendous computing power available to Greek researchers, the Greek business community, startups and larger companies”.
The first users are expected to gain access gradually during December, once the system has been fully configured.
Who will be able to use the supercomputer
“Daedalus”’s computing power will be available to the Greek and European scientific and academic communities, universities and research centres, as well as startups and small and medium-sized enterprises, industry and the public sector.
Access will be granted through specific procedures and calls issued by GRNET, the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and Greece’s Pharos AI Factory, depending on the nature and requirements of each project.
Interested parties will be able to submit proposals, which will be assessed against criteria including their scientific or technological merit, computing requirements and the availability of resources. The precise eligibility requirements and deadlines will be announced when the system enters production.
The supercomputer’s applications span a wide range of activities, from healthcare and biomedical research to civil protection, energy, industry, transport and cybersecurity.
In healthcare, for example, research teams will be able to use its computing power to train artificial intelligence models on appropriately anonymised data, with the aim of detecting diseases early and developing tools for personalised medicine.
In civil protection, “Daedalus” will be able to support complex climate models, helping to improve understanding of extreme weather events and forecast fire risks.
There are also significant opportunities for the business community. A Greek company, for example, could run simulations of new products or production processes, reducing the time needed for testing and improving designs before production begins.
The supercomputer will also support the development of generative AI applications and large language models (LLMs), with potential uses in the Greek language, education and culture.
Linking up with the “Pharos” AI Factory
Greece’s “Pharos” AI Factory, one of the first AI Factories in the European network, has a central role in plans to use the new infrastructure. “Daedalus” will serve as its computing core.
In practice, the supercomputer will provide the required computing power, while “Pharos” will combine it with data, specialised tools, expertise, training services and technical support. This will enable researchers, universities, businesses and public-sector bodies to develop and use advanced artificial intelligence applications.
“Pharos” will focus on healthcare, language and culture, and sustainability.
The infrastructure also creates the conditions for the development of domestic artificial intelligence models and applications, strengthening the country’s technological autonomy and reducing the need to rely on computing resources abroad for some particularly demanding tasks.
Energy efficiency and management
Particular emphasis has also been placed on the new supercomputer’s energy efficiency. It ranks 23rd in the Green500 global ranking, which assesses the energy efficiency of the most powerful computing systems.
To limit energy consumption, the system uses Direct Liquid Cooling technology, which removes heat from computing circuits more efficiently. The system takes advantage of local climate conditions and the ability to use free cooling for most of the year, reducing the energy needed to run the cooling systems.
The Lavrio Technological and Cultural Park also has a 2 MWp photovoltaic park for self-consumption, which helps meet the facility’s energy needs.
“Daedalus” is operated and managed by the National Infrastructures for Research and Technology (GRNET), an agency under the Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, as part of the European EuroHPC ecosystem.
The system will be supported by specialist staff, with continuous technical monitoring to ensure the infrastructure’s security, availability and efficient use.
What comes after Daedalus
Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence Minister Dimitris Papastergiou outlined the broader plans for developing artificial intelligence infrastructure in Greece, setting out the next steps.
“With ‘Daedalus’, the new supercomputer coming to Kozani and the capabilities of AI Factories, we are building infrastructure that can make Greece a leading player in the wider region,” he stressed.
Further details of the new supercomputer for Western Macedonia were provided by Stefanos Kollias, chairman of GRNET and a professor, who said the infrastructure was being developed in partnership with the University of Western Macedonia and the region, with funding from the Just Transition Development Fund and the Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence.
He explained that the new system would complement “Daedalus”, while also providing the ability to process sensitive data securely, with applications including in the agri-food sector. The goal is for it to be operational by the end of 2027.
NTUA’s “Icarus”
The country’s computing infrastructure is also set to be expanded with the new 2-petaflop “Icarus” supercomputer at the National Technical University of Athens, funded by the Recovery Fund through the “Universities of Excellence” programme.
NTUA Rector Ioannis Hatzigeorgiou announced the new supercomputer at the event in Lavrio, noting that the facility would complement “Daedalus”.
“We deliberately named this powerful 2-petaflop facility ‘Icarus’, which will complement its ‘father’, ‘Daedalus’,” he said.
Greece’s role in the next generation of European supercomputers
Professor Nektarios Koziris, Greece’s national representative to the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, discussed the country’s participation in the next generation of European supercomputers.
He noted that from 2027 Greece would continue to take an active part in European supercomputing initiatives, including through its participation in the French “Alice Recoque” supercomputer, which is expected to become operational in 2028.
He also said that in 2027 the European Commission and EuroHPC would begin developing the next generation of AI Gigafactories, with Greece having already declared its participation and anticipating a significant contribution to the European effort.
€10 billion investment in European supercomputing infrastructure
The European Union has mobilised €10 billion since 2018 to develop the European supercomputing ecosystem, with 39 countries and partners taking part, said Thomas Skordas, deputy director-general of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT).
Europe now has one of the world’s five most powerful supercomputers, he said, while three other European systems rank among the world’s top 20. Canada has also recently joined the European EuroHPC organisation.
By 2027, the EuroHPC network is expected to include 19 AI Factories, two exascale-class supercomputers and eight quantum computers, which will be available to researchers and businesses across Europe.
As Mr Skordas noted, the aim is to use artificial intelligence to create meaningful economic and social value, with applications ranging from smart grids and medicine to industrial development.
At the same time, the European Commission is preparing an expanded investment programme for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, aimed at strengthening Europe’s technological sovereignty, security and strategic autonomy.
Planned investments from 2028 onwards include a new generation of AI Gigafactories, new computing architectures, quantum computers and dedicated European initiatives to develop advanced artificial intelligence models.