HPC5, supercomputers serving research activities

Its full name is High Performance Computer 5 and it is the latest-generation of our supercomputers.  Its performance makes it one of the most powerful in the world and, thanks to its architecture,  also one of the most sustainable. We use it both to identify and develop new reserves of natural gas more efficiently, and to develop transition projects and study new energy sources.

The energy industry needs to process large amounts of data and information. Having the computing power of HPC5 at our disposal allows us to obtain three-dimensional models of the subsurface much faster for the exploration and development of new resources and the definition of decarbonisation projects, as well as to study solutions for increasing the efficiency of renewable sources. High computing power is also valuable for research into magnetic confinement fusion.

Our HPC5 (High Performance Computer - 5) supercomputing system allows us to improve the accuracy of geological and fluid dynamic studies, reducing the risk of explorations, and speeding up the identification and production of new deposits, all of which are key factors in ensuring natural gas supply and energy security. Thanks to the performance of the HPC5, we can use sophisticated proprietary algorithms for three-dimensional subsoil modelling. Not only that, the supercomputer also proves invaluable for applied research into new energies. For example, we use it in research into magnetic confinement fusion, a potential source of revolutionary energy . We also make it available for applied scientific research in areas such as climatology and pharmacology.

Our supercomputer proves invaluable for collaborations that go beyond the boundaries of the energy sector. At the Eni-CNR joint research centre in Lecce, it is used to make meteoclimatic models of the Arctic, while at the Gela research centre, it is used in the study of superconducting magnets for magnetic confinement fusion. In collaboration with the Cineca inter-university consortium in Bologna, it also made it possible to carry out a molecular supercomputing experiment in order to identify the most suitable drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Finally, to look towards what we can consider the new frontier of high performance computers, we collaborate with the company PASQAL, in which Eni has invested through its corporate venture capital vehicle Eni Next, in the field of next-generation quantum supercomputers applied to the energy industry.