HPE Drives Sovereign AI Leadership With Advanced Systems at National Research Centers

Trish Damkroger, Senior Vice President and General Manager of HPC & AI Infrastructure Solutions at HPE, emphasized the importance of sovereign AI in driving innovation and economic growth. “Sovereign AI initiatives will accelerate innovation and unlock economic growth, yet they require infrastructure and services that enable scale, sustainability, and governance,” she stated. HPE's integration of proven AI factory solutions with NVIDIA's cutting-edge technologies positions the company to lead this transformative shift. The resulting systems will allow clients to develop, train, and implement AI solutions while retaining full control over their data and intellectual property.

HPE's commitment to advancing sovereign AI capabilities in Europe is exemplified by the HammerHAI (Hybrid and Advanced Machine learning platform for Manufacturing, Engineering, and Research) AI Factory initiative at HLRS. This flagship system, funded through a €55 million (USD $64.8 million) investment from the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and various German governmental bodies, is expected to significantly bolster Europe’s AI capabilities across research and industry sectors, including support for small enterprises and startups.

The HammerHAI system is engineered to deliver over 15 exaflops of peak AI inference performance, making it ideal for training AI models and executing data-intensive simulations across diverse sectors. This advanced system is built on NVIDIA's GB200 NVL4 architecture and boasts a range of cutting-edge features, including:

Dr. Bastian Koller, Managing Director of HLRS and lead coordinator of HammerHAI, noted that the system will provide a high-performance AI platform alongside essential services such as AI skills training. This approach will offer a robust alternative to commercial cloud AI services, ensuring alignment with European data security requirements.

On the U.S. front, HPE is collaborating with Argonne National Laboratory to support Genesis Mission, a national AI strategy aimed at enhancing scientific research and innovation. This collaboration will introduce two advanced AI systems, “Janus” and “Tara,” designed to facilitate AI inferencing for a variety of scientific applications.

The Janus system, based on the HPE Cray XD server platform and accelerated by NVIDIA Hopper GPUs, will create a powerful environment for training and applied research, ultimately preparing the next generation of AI and HPC practitioners. Meanwhile, Tara, leveraging the exascale-class HPE Cray Supercomputing EX4000 powered by NVIDIA Grace Hopper Superchips, will enable researchers to harness AI for groundbreaking technological advancements.

Rick Stevens, Associate Laboratory Director for Computing, Environment and Life Sciences at Argonne, remarked on the transformative potential of these systems: “We’re entering a new era of supercomputing — one in which AI and HPC converge to form intelligent systems that blend simulation, data, and inference.” This integration is set to revolutionize the scientific discovery process, enhancing the capabilities of researchers to solve complex challenges.

The unveiling of the HammerHAI, Janus, and Tara systems marks a significant evolution of the NVIDIA AI Computing by HPE portfolio. Attendees of the NVIDIA GTC can explore the latest advancements at HPE’s booth (531) or through various announcements, including the introduction of next-generation AI factory systems and supercomputing innovations.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise's aggressive move into the sovereign AI space underscores the company's commitment to advancing technology that meets the demands of modern governance and compliance. By leveraging powerful AI systems and fostering collaboration with key research institutions, HPE is positioning itself as a leader in the burgeoning field of sovereign AI, ready to empower a new generation of innovation and economic growth.