In the context of the EuroCC project, within the framework of industry-academia and public sector cooperation, many dissemination activities have been organized in the fields of High-Performance Computing (HPC), Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence in order to improve the competencies of the HPC-related groups. Proof of Concept (PoC) has been carried out with companies having problems in the field of High-Performance Computing/Big Data/Artificial Intelligence. In this framework, free academic mentorship, HPC expertise and TRUBA infrastructure support are provided. For the PoC studies, academic mentors are appointed from the national expert pool.
National Expert Pool: The expert pool increases the visibility of the national competencies in terms of the expertise in HPC of academia, industry and national e-Infrastructures. If you would like to fill the HPC expertise form, you can reach through this link: https://indico.truba.gov.tr/event/24/.
In addition to this, in order to increase the HPC capabilities of the companies, SME HPC Maturity Model is developed. The model aims to comprehensively assess their current situation regarding HPC-related skills and assist them in identifying and prioritizing reasonable improvement opportunities.
All these studies have been carried out within the framework of the services developed during the first two years of the EuroCC Project by NCC Türkiye. These services are given below:
1. Training and Awareness Creation Services
NCC Türkiye has been providing customized online and offline classes in the fields of High-Performance Computing (HPC), High-Performance Data Analytics (HPDA), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The goal is to provide impactful educational journeys for SMEs, government entities, and academic institutions. The content of these activities is developed by considering suitable for the needs of the users. In addition to training services, The NCC employs several communication tools to create awareness of the importance of HPC usage among the academia, industry, and public sector. Various types of events have been organized for reaching out to the targeted audience such as National HPC Meetings, HPC seminars, workshops, and hackathons.
2. Consultancy Services & SME HPC Maturity Model
NCC Türkiye will define and use structured processes for industrial user acquisition and PoC. This process will be tailored and developed according to needs&demands of the SMEs, if needed. These processes will be advanced to conduct PoCs with SMEs and large-scale enterprises, preparing the industry for the emerging EuroHPC ecosystem. In order for these studies to progress efficiently, an academic expert, as well as an infrastructure specialist from the expert pool, which was established in the previous phase, will be appointed to the PoCs for consultation and support and provide free HPC resources, as well. In order to monitor the progress of these industrial studies, regular updates will be requested. The processes are given in below figures.
Figure-1:Industrial user acquisition process
According to Figure-1, if the company has an HPC-suitable problem, a meeting is arranged and, produce a report summarizing the discussions held during the meeting. Engaging in a discussion with experts from the NCC helps determine whether the company requires guidance throughout the PoC. If such assistance is needed, the NCC has the capability to offer both HPC resources and academic support, tailored to address the specific areas of concern. Experts and the company collaboratively complete a PoC application form. This form encompasses the definition of the problem, initial recommendations, and the key stages of the proposed solution. Using an assessment approach, the NCC appraises whether the problem corresponds to the objectives of the EuroCC Project, in consultation with its affiliated entities within the NCC.
Figure-2:Industrial PoC study process
Either TRUBA or ITU UHeM provides the necessary HPC resources for the PoC study that has been positively assessed and exceeded the predefined threshold, then the PoC is officially started.
Generally, a combination of academic guidance and HPC source are made available for a duration of 6 months. If necessary, en extension of the timeframe is considered. In the course of a 6 month PoC study period, an interim update for the PoC report is requested. If the company is unable to make any progress during the process, PoC studies are closed. If the company has achieved advantageous outcomes in terms of business benefits, NCC requests to complete a success story form, by disseminating results.
Apart from these procedures, NCC Türkiye also prepared a white paper to disseminate its industrial practices and experiences (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7357436). This white paper includes also a Maturity Assessment Tool which helps to improve the SMEs’ HPC capabilities. This tool evaluate their existing status in terms of HPC capabilities and aids them in recognizing and ranking viable opportunities for enhancing their capabilities. The detailed procedure of applying it is introduced paper. The other NCCs and organizations can use and determine the companies needs.
3. TRUBA User Documentation Service
The NCC will provide tutorials on the website for novice users and prepare the how-to application guides targeting more experienced users. NCC edits and updates the document on a regular basis.
In order to examine the documentation page, please visit →https://docs.truba.gov.tr/
