TeRABIT

The TeRABIT project aims to create a hybrid, hyper-connected and distributed cloud HPC computing environment that provides customised services for the diverse needs of research communities while remaining open to the widest possible range of users. This will be achieved by networking, integrating and upgrading three major digital research infrastructures: GARR-X, PRACE-Italy and HPC-BD-AI.

The idea stems from the growing demand for high-intensity data processing and storage services in research and innovation. Multidisciplinary research communities have diverse and complex needs that require customised solutions, while high-performance computing and hyper-networking elements are becoming increasingly important for applications across all fields and scales. These advances are bringing network, cloud and high-performance computing technologies closer together than ever before.

The project complements the National HPC Centre and will integrate state-of-the-art high-performance and high-throughput computing elements into an innovative distributed platform. By leveraging heterogeneous hardware, it will provide a rich portfolio of computing solutions for data-intensive research and industrial applications— - from edge computing and connectivity to workflows and centralised HPC exascale systems. With its extensive service portfolio and computing power in the petaflop range, TeRABIT will be able to handle parallel requests from all scientific fields and industrial applications and quickly realise innovative research prototypes.

Through extensive technology and capacity upgrades and the geographical expansion of the ultra-broadband network layer— - focussing on southern Italy — the project will provide terabit-quality connectivity and interoperable services for research and innovation across the country. The increased geographical coverage will close the digital gap that still affects many areas in the south and on the islands, strengthening local ecosystems for research and innovation and increasing their competitiveness and attractiveness for talent and investment.