The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has entered into a partnership with HPE to deploy HammerHAI, the first standalone supercomputer under its AI Factories initiative. The system will be installed at the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS) in Germany and is designed to accelerate artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science workloads for European researchers, industries, small and medium-sized enterprises, and startups.
HammerHAI will be built on HPE’s liquid-cooled NVIDIA GB200 NVL4 architecture, combining NVIDIA Grace CPUs with Blackwell GPUs. It will feature NVIDIA Quantum-X800 InfiniBand networking, delivering more than 15 exaflops of peak AI inference performance. The system will also integrate VAST Data DASE storage and a partition based on Axelera AI’s inference engines, ensuring efficient data management for AI and high-performance computing workloads.
HPE Morpheus Enterprise software will serve as the unified AI control plane, enabling automated provisioning, governance, and lifecycle management. This setup is intended to support medium- to large-scale AI applications, including those typically handled by commercial cloud services, while adhering to EU data security regulations. Access to HammerHAI will be free for eligible European users.
The supercomputer is part of EuroHPC JU’s broader AI strategy, aiming to strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty and technological leadership. It follows the launch of the HammerHAI AI Factory in April 2025, which has already begun offering AI computing services on existing infrastructure.
Key features of HammerHAI include
- Over 15 exaflops of peak AI inference performance
- NVIDIA Grace CPUs and Blackwell GPUs for optimized AI workloads
- NVIDIA Quantum-X800 InfiniBand networking for high-speed connectivity
- VAST Data DASE storage for unified data management
- Axelera AI’s inference engines for specialized AI tasks
- HPE Morpheus Enterprise software for automated AI lifecycle management
The system is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2026 and become operational by the second half of the year. It will support research and technology development in engineering, manufacturing, automotive, and mobility sectors.
HammerHAI is designed to bridge the gap between local AI systems and commercial cloud environments, making it easier for users to migrate or scale applications. The supercomputer will also provide access to large language models, professional training courses, consulting, and AI-adoption support, including assessments and guidance on AI ethics and risk management.
While primarily intended for startups and SMEs, HammerHAI will also serve the scientific research community, developing new AI, machine learning, and data science applications. EuroHPC JU and HammerHAI will jointly allocate access to computing resources based on their respective investments.
Users are encouraged to begin preparing their datasets, algorithms, and workflows now to take full advantage of HammerHAI’s capabilities upon its availability. The system is set to become a key pillar in Europe’s AI ecosystem, reinforcing the region’s innovative strength and technological sovereignty.
