Supercomputer users: A closer look

30.09.2025

In close collaboration our Resource Allocation Committee, we have successfully completed the evaluation of research applications for the second resource allocation period of 2025.

Olivia, Norways new supercomputer

As we approach the end of 2025, the Sigma2 supercomputing and data storage resources are supporting more than 2000 active e-infrastructure users.

Over 670 million CPU hours have been allocated to approximately 350 research projects, while more than 185 projects have been granted nearly 34 PB of storage in total on the national e-infrastructure for high-performance computing and scientific data.

The HPC customers from the scientific fields of physics and computational fluid dynamics are the largest group of researchers in need of computing resources, followed by geosciences and chemistry. The size of computing projects in terms of consumed CPU hours has grown year after year.

In the ongoing allocation period, the largest individual computation project is Solar Atmospheric Modelling, led by Professor Mats Carlsson, at the University of Oslo. The astrophysics project will consume no less than 154 million core hours in the ongoing allocation period. 

HPC Top 10 projects

  • Mats Carlsson: Solar Atmospheric Modelling 
    Allocated 154 million CPU hours 

  • Andrea Gruber: Scientific insights into H2 combustion under elevated pressure conditions
    Allocated: 120 million CPU hours 

  • Michael Schulz: Computing for INES - Infrastructure for Norwegian Earth System modelling
    Allocated: 50,5 million CPU hours 

  • Noel Keenlyside: Bjerknes Climate Prediction Unit  
    Allocated 30 million CPU-hours 

  • Thomas Bondo Pedersen: Quantum chemical studies of molecular properties and energetics of large and complex systems  
    Allocated 20,6 million CPU hours 

  • Lars Erik Holmedal: Transport Mechanisms in the Ocean
    Allocated 15,1 million CPU-hours

  • Stephan Oepen: High-Performance Language Technologies
    Allocated 18,5 million CPU-hours

  • Noel Keenlyside: Synchronisation to enhance reliability of climate prediction
    Allocated 15 million CPU-hours

  • Luca Frediani: Development and application of computational chemistry methods from Relativistic effect to large biosystems
    Allocated 12 million CPU-hours

  • Razvan Caracas: Extreme planetary interiors
    Allocated 10 million CPU-hours

NIRD Top 10 projects

A computer science project focused on training very large language models is, by far, the largest user of the national storage resources. Beyond this, there is significant representation from data-driven disciplines such as climate and earth sciences. This is largely attributed to Norwegian climate researchers contributing to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) through CMIP simulations.

  • Stephan Oepen: High-Performance Language Technologies
    Allocated: 6000 TB

  • Mats Bentsen: National climate data rescue
    Allocated 3000 TB

  • Noel Keenlyside: Bjerknes Climate Prediction Unit  
    Allocated 1900 TB

  • Mats Bentsen: Storage for nationally coordinated NorESM experiments
    Allocated 1800 TB

  • Michael Schulz: Computing for INES - Infrastructure for Norwegian Earth System modelling
    Allocated 1600 TB

  • Kirstin Krüger: Transport And Chemistry of Climate and Ozone relevant trace gases
    Allocated 1000 TB

  • Noel Keenlyside: Synchronisation to enhance reliability of climate prediction
    Allocated 935 TB

  • Magnus Drivdal: High latitude coastal circulation modeling
    Allocted 850 TB

  • Priscilla Mooney: Polar Regions in the Earth System
    Allocted 780 TB

  • Jon Albretsen: IMR-Internal-Storage
    Allocated: 550 TB

Did you miss the deadline?

Applications submitted after the application deadline for the new period are case handled after the period has started. Within a period, all applications are handled continuously. However, old projects applying after the deadline or after the period has started, receive lower queue priority (cost command non-pri quota). 

If a project exhausts its allocations before the end of the ongoing allocation period, the project manager can submit a request for an extra allocation for the remainder of the period. There are no deadlines for such requests. Requests for extra allocations are subject to available capacity on the facilities. This also applies to proposals submitted outside regular calls. 

More useful information can be found on our support pages.