Hungary’s new AI supercomputer inaugurated at University of Szeged

NewsSZTE

Jul 8

Hungary inaugurated a new supercomputer dedicated to artificial intelligence research Tuesday at the University of Szeged, part of an effort officials say will boost the country’s competitiveness in advanced technologies.

Government commissioner for artificial intelligence László Palkovics called the investment a “ticket” into a world typically closed to countries the size of Hungary. The system provides 1.75 petaflops of computing power and access to additional resources managed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

*From left: SZTE Chancellor Judit Fendler, Rector László Rovó, and HPE Hungary Managing Director Tibor Szpisják after signing a strategic agreement covering research and education. Photo: I.F.*

Palkovics stated that Hungary has secured an agreement with Europe’s largest supercomputing center in Jülich, Germany, granting Hungarian researchers access to approximately 10 petaflops of computing capacity. Hungary will also be able to install its own high-performance hardware there, potentially tapping the full 800-petaflop capacity.

German technology firm ParTec AG also announced plans Tuesday for a roughly €3 billion data center investment in Hungary, which officials said would have double the capacity of the Jülich center. The company cited energy security, political stability, and a strong pool of local talent as reasons for choosing the country.

László Bódis, Deputy State Secretary for Innovation at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, stated that the University of Szeged is a leader in Hungary’s innovation ecosystem, citing projects such as the development of the Science Park and collaborations with pharmaceutical firms.

HPE’s Hungarian managing director, Tibor Szpisják, said the supercomputer uses the same cutting-edge technology found in the world’s fastest systems. He added that its capacity can scale as demand grows.

The university and HPE also signed a strategic agreement Tuesday covering research and education.

University officials said the new supercomputer is optimized for AI research in fields such as medical and genomic analysis, language models, and transportation. The project cost 1.2 billion forints ($3.3 million), with operating costs projected at 800 million forints over five years.