In Albania and the Western Balkans, there is no actual infrastructure available that allows local researchers and innovators to analyse Big Data. The implementation of High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure in Albania will help research and academic communities in the region to enhance their capacity to effectively participate in the European research framework.
A local solution of HPC in the region would facilitate cross-border collaboration and connect regional research groups via WB NREN (National Research and Education Network). In the case of the Albanian Academic Network (RASH) serving as the future research network, the main advantage is that Tirana is considered to be geographically at the centre of the European Computer Network for Research and Education (GEANT) in the WB region.
The proposed HPC infrastructure in Albania will be interconnected with other European HPC infrastructures including those in Sofia, Maribor and Bologna (CINECA) creating the HPC Cloud. This infrastructure with more than 50 HPC servers installed in the new upgraded RASH Datacentre will give access to 30 higher education institutions with over 30,000 researchers and academics and 120,000 students to use different tools in Big Data analyses. In parallel, the upgrade of the RASH Datacentre to host HPC server infrastructure is crucial given that the existing infrastructure of the Cooling System/UPS/Generator has not been foreseen to support HPC infrastructure which requires more power/cooling than the current server operating mode can bear.
For these purposes, WBIF has provided a technical assistance grant for the preparation of the Pre-Feasibility Study with Needs Assessment for regional HPC Infrastructure, interconnection of regional university campuses via WB NREN and upgrade of the HPC-hosting data centre.
