EURECOM, a leading European engineering school and research laboratory in the digital field, announces the creation of CIRCALIS (High-Performance Computing for Collaborative Research in Learning and Artificial Intelligence – Région Sud), a computing center dedicated to AI, in partnership with Région Sud. This strategic project, backed by a €3 million investment over two and a half years, will enable EURECOM to acquire powerful computing equipment, including state-of-the-art GPUs, to support its educational offerings and applied research in AI.

CIRCALIS: A Driver of Training and Innovation at EURECOM

As part of its AI roadmap, defined in spring/summer 2024, Région Sud is committed to fostering an environment conducive to AI development through strategic actions in training, business integration, and infrastructure enhancement. The CIRCALIS project aligns with this vision by accelerating two complementary objectives:

• Developing high-level educational programs in AI, tailored for engineers and doctoral students.
• Advancing applied AI research, including R&D collaborations with the industrial ecosystem in areas such as AI for healthcare, automotive, digital security, and future networks.

The CIRCALIS center, dedicated to artificial intelligence, will be hosted at EURECOM, an institution with an international reputation in digital sciences and data science. Thanks to its engineering programs delivered in English and its research initiatives in collaboration with industry, EURECOM plays a key role in strengthening regional expertise in AI. Each year, around 170 students graduate from EURECOM’s programs at the engineering, Master of Science, and PhD levels, which place a strong emphasis on AI and data science.

High-Performance Computing for Education and Research

CIRCALIS will enhance EURECOM’s existing computing resources, developed through European projects, ERC initiatives, and its co-founding role in the interdisciplinary 3IA Côte d’Azur center. This expansion will be carried out in partnership with Région Sud through equal co-funding from EURECOM’s own resources and regional public subsidies.

The new computing infrastructure will provide students and researchers with privileged access to high-performance computing resources, essential for exploring advanced AI technologies while ensuring data confidentiality. The goals are to:

• Train the next generation of talent (researchers and engineers).
• Support companies in meeting their recruitment needs for AI experts.
• Foster the development of new-generation concepts through R&D programs with partner companies.

Resource Sharing for Collaborative Innovation

The CIRCALIS center’s equipment will not only benefit EURECOM but will also be accessible to:

• Academic partners, particularly through European (Horizon Europe), national (ANR), and regional projects such as 3IA Côte d’Azur.
• Industrial partners, including members of EURECOM’s consortium (BMW, Orange, NortonLifeLock, IABG, the Principality of Monaco) and over 40 other major players in the digital sector. The computing capabilities of the CIRCALIS center will be pivotal in advancing collaborative industrial research activities.
• Local start-ups, supported by the Techforward incubator in partnership with EDHEC and Institut Mines-Télécom, which benefit from EURECOM’s technological expertise, particularly for their AI-related projects. CIRCALIS will facilitate access to GPU computing tools to support their development within the framework of specific collaborations.

A Sustainable Project with a Shared Vision for the Future

The launch of CIRCALIS coincides with the commissioning of the SUNrecom solar farm on EURECOM’s campus. This network of solar panels, spanning several hundred square meters, will supply one-third of the computing center’s energy needs, contributing to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly use of computing resources. CIRCALIS represents an innovative approach, promoting the use of renewable energy to meet growing computing demands.

For more information about the CIRCALIS project and EURECOM’s AI programs, please contact: