Germany launches Jupiter, a European supercomputer to lead AI

In Frankfurt, Germany , Europe inaugurated Jupiter , the continent's fastest supercomputer, on Friday. With computing power equivalent to one million smartphones , the goal is to narrow Europe's technological gap with the United States and China in artificial intelligence (AI).

The Jülich supercomputing center , where Jupiter is located, houses 24,000 Nvidia chips and occupies 3,600 square meters. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described it as “the equivalent of 10 million laptops stacked up to 300 kilometers high.”

Europe has fallen behind the United States and China in advanced AI models . According to a Stanford University report, by 2024 the US had developed 40 influential models, China 15, and Europe only 3.

Jupiter will allow for the training of larger and more accurate AI models , including LLMs used in generative chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini. Its construction, led by Eviden and ParTec, represents a historic effort to consolidate Europe at the forefront of technology.

José María Cela, researcher at the National Supercomputing Center in Barcelona , ​​​​said:

“The bigger the computer, the better the model you develop with artificial intelligence.”

Beyond AI, Jupiter will be key to advanced climate forecasting . Researchers hope to simulate extreme events and generate forecasts up to 30 or even 100 years in advance, a significant leap forward from current models.

The supercomputer will also allow for the simulation of brain processes and the development of drugs for diseases such as Alzheimer's. It will also be able to optimize wind turbines and renewable energy , strengthening the European energy transition.

Jupiter consumes approximately 11 megawatts , equivalent to the energy of thousands of homes. However, its design includes water cooling and waste heat reuse for nearby buildings, cementing it as the most efficient supercomputer in its class .

Besides Jupiter, there are only three exascale supercomputers : Capitan, Frontier and Aurora, all in the US. Europe is home to five of the top 10 most powerful: Jupiter (Germany), HPC6 and Leonardo (Italy), Alps (Switzerland) and Lumi (Finland).