User story

The Great Barrier Reef, a natural wonder teeming with biodiversity, faces unprecedented challenges. Innovative solutions are crucial for its preservation. Researchers at UCLouvain have harnessed the power of GPU computing on the LUMI supercomputer to transform ocean modelling and conservation strategies. Prof. Emmanuel Hanert: “For the Great Barrier Reef, we use SLIM to simulate ocean currents and study reef connectivity —the exchange of living material between reefs. By modelling larval transport, we can determine how reefs are interconnected—identifying which reefs provide larvae to others. This insight is vital for conservation efforts, allowing us to prioritise protecting reefs essential for the resilience and regeneration of the entire ecosystem.”

Margaux Boxho (Cenaero) uses AI & HPC to model turbulent flows & optimize jet engines. With Zenobe & Lucia supercomputers, her team combines large eddy simulations and machine learning to predict flow separation with high accuracy—driving aerospace innovation!

Meet the Innoptus Solar Team, a group of twenty engineering students from KU Leuven in Belgium. They are a shining example of what passion, collaboration, and innovation can achieve. For the past twenty years, they have participated in the prestigious World Solar Challenge, a challenging 3,021-kilometer race across the Australian outback. In September, they will once again compete for the world title in Australia with a newly designed car. In our latest user story, discover how the Innoptus Solar Team utilizes supercomputing to develop the best aerodynamic concept for their car.

Turbulent flows are notoriously challenging in terms of modelling. Turbulence doesn't readily lend itself to simple, straightforward models. While the Navier-Stokes equations comprehensively describe the underlying physics, they come with a significant computational cost. In fact, attempting to simulate the full Navier-Stokes equations with all the complex physical details is (nearly) impossible. However, by introducing certain simplifications (Large Eddy simulations), we can leverage the power of supercomputing to create reasonably accurate models of turbulent flows.

In this user story prof. Pim Pullens of Ghent University explains how supercomputing infrastructure and other tools are being used to teach students how to analyse imaging data. Prof. Pullens: “As said, my students have no experience working with a supercomputer. However, thanks to using the VSC infrastructure, Open OnDemand and Neurodesk, I can get them to analyse their data within an hour, which shows how user-friendly and efficient this set-up is.” 

Learn how powerful computing supports the use of more advanced genetic testing to improve the diagnosis of rare eye diseases. Mattias Van Heetvelde: “The Tier-2 infrastructure from the VSC allows us the use of significant (temporary) storage and compute resources at no extra cost and ensures our data is handled securely and efficiently. As a safeguard, all patient-derived sequencing data on the VSC infrastructure are pseudonymised, meaning the key to retracing the sequencing data to patient information is not kept on VSC infrastructure.” 

Discover how scientists from UHasselt, UNamur, and Sciensano are using advanced mathematical modeling to prepare for future pandemics. By analyzing data from the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have developed a powerful tool to predict the spread of infectious diseases and assess the impact of interventions like vaccination campaigns. This groundbreaking work will equip us with the knowledge to tackle future outbreaks more effectively. Dive into this fascinating article to learn how these efforts are shaping the future of public health preparedness.

Looking to cool off during a scorching heatwave ?? Head to the forest ?—it's not just beautiful, it's also cooler thanks to thermal buffering. But did you know traditional weather stations often miss these cooler spots? They typically generate macroclimate data and miss out on what is really important for many species living close to the ground (the microclimate). The research lab sGlobe (KULeuven) aims to unravel the drivers and impact of microclimate conditions. sGlobe combines big data with state-of-the-art modelling techniques like machine learning and species distribution models to study the effects of climate change on forest life. Dive into this user story and discover how supercomputing powers this vital research.

We are very saddened to hear about the passing of KULeuven professor Giovanni Lapenta. He worked on the largest supercomputers in the world and he was also one of the pilot users on the LUMI supercomputer with the LIFTHASIR project. Read our interview with prof. Lapenta

Find out in this user story how Antea Group Belgium got jump-started on the Tier-1 infrastructure with an exploratory grant of the Vlaams Supercomputer Centre (this VSC grant offers companies the opportunity to test their software on the Tier-1 supercomputer and determine how much compute time to purchase.) Antea Group Belgium uses computer models to simulate rivers' hydrological, hydrodynamic, and hydro-morphodynamic processes. For example, through simulations, they study how the Barebeek, a small but essential river between Brussels and Mechelen, behaves and changes due to water movement and the shape of the river bed. Detailed projects like these show how river modelling can make a difference in protecting society, saving the environment, and keeping our infrastructure safe.