CSCS mission is to develop and operate a high-performance computing and data research infrastructure that supports wold-class science in Switzerland.
Simulation, alongside theory and experimentation, has become an essential component of modern science. Researchers across an ever-growing range of disciplines rely on high-performance computing to advance their work. For example, supercomputers are used to model new materials with previously unknown properties. Climate modelling and weather forecasting would be impossible without them. In the social sciences, simulations can help prevent mass panic by predicting collective behavior. In medicine, they support diagnostics and contribute to the development of improved treatment methods. They also enable risk assessments for natural hazards such as earthquakes and potential tsunamis.
The rise of data science has further expanded the role of supercomputing, making it possible to analyze massive datasets and train complex AI models. CSCS has a strong track record in supporting the processing, analysis, and storage of scientific data, and is investing heavily in new tools and computing systems to advance data science applications. For more than a decade, CSCS has played a key role in analyzing the many petabytes of data produced by scientific instruments such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Supporting scientists in extracting knowledge from both structured and unstructured data remains a central priority for CSCS.
User Lab
On behalf of the Swiss Confederation, CSCS runs a User Lab, where researchers in Switzerland can apply for computational resources that are free at the point of use. A transparent review process by independent experts ensures that all deserving projects receive the computing resources they need to accomplish their aims.
Computational Services for Science
Swiss scientists, research institutions and projects with their own funding can access the computational resources at CSCS as contractual partners. The environment provided is either shared with the User Lab, or a dedicated solution can be deployed, depending on specific needs.
Examples of services provided by CSCS to contractual partners are the analysis of data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the archiving of data from the X-ray laser SwissFEL for the Paul Scherrer Institute and the provision of computational resources for the numerical weather forecasts of MeteoSwiss.
Founded in 1991, CSCS, the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre, develops and provides the key supercomputing capabilities required to solve important problems to science and/or society. The centre enables world-class research with a scientific user lab that is available to domestic and international researchers through a transparent, peer-reviewed allocation process. CSCS's resources are open to academia, and are available as well to users from industry and the business sector. The centre is operated by ETH Zurich and is located in Lugano with additional offices in Zurich.