---
# System prepended metadata

title: MultiXscale WP1+WP5 sync meeting (20260113)

---

---
categories: "[[Meetings]]"
date: 2026-01-13
time: 09:30 AM
loc:
  - https://uib.zoom.us/j/62582216286?pwd=Q2YrUTZvNWdkaUhwcXVXVWlnejFnQT09
type:
  - "[[Authors]]"
people:
  - "[[Petra Papež]]"
---
***
Date and time: **January 13, 2026, at 09:30 AM** 
Meeting link: https://zoom.us/j/99158642000?pwd=gUo2eU67EatNF3q0U1uD8tmxYAmm3V.1
****

attendees:
- UGent: Kenneth, Lara
- SURF: Caspar, Satish
- HPCNOw: Susana, Helena
- UIB: Richard, Sondre
- RUG: Bob, Pedro
- BSC: Julian
- Alan

### Overview - Deliverables in 2026

- [ ] 1-NIC: [[Deliverable D7.3 - Business and Sustainability Plan]] ➕ 2026-01-06 🛫 2026-01-26 📅 2026-04-30
    - Petra has already sent emails on this - each partner should get back to her on this (by end of Jan'26)
- [ ] 9-BSC CNS: [[Deliverable D1.6 - Advances of RISC-V Ecosystem]] ➕ 2026-01-06 🛫 2026-12-01 📅 2026-12-31
- [ ] 5-SURF BV: [[Deliverable 1.7 - Report on consolidation of the shared software stack]] ➕ 2026-01-06 🛫 2026-12-01 📅 2026-12-31
- [ ] 7-UGent: [[Deliverable D5.4 - Final report on supporting and maintaining the shared software stack]] ➕ 2026-01-06 🛫 2026-12-01 📅 2026-12-31
- [ ] 4-UB: [[Deliverable D6.4 - Final report on Community outreach, Education & Training]] ➕ 2026-01-06 🛫 2026-12-01 📅 2026-12-31
- [ ] 1-NIC: [[Deliverable 7.4 - Final report on Dissemination, Communication and Exploitation]] ➕ 2026-01-06 🛫 2026-12-01 📅 2026-12-31
- [ ] 11-HPCNOW: [[Deliverable D7.5 - Scientific software stack provisioning]] ➕ 2026-01-06 🛫 2026-12-01 📅 2026-12-31
    - "Technical report presenting a multi-cloud solution to provide the scientific software stack."
    - EESSI as multi-cloud solution
    - also cover Magic Castle + work on EOSC, Kubernetes (see blog posts)

#### Notes

- Overleaf projects have already been set up for each of these
    - see GitHub issues: https://github.com/multixscale/planning/issues

***
### Overview - Milestones in 2026

- [ ] 5-SURF: [[Milestone No. 7 - Compiler toolchain for RISC-V deployed in shared software stack]] ➕ 2026-01-06 🛫 2026-06-01 📅 2026-06-30
    - [ ] Julian/Bob/Caspar/Kenneth are on top of it, see https://github.com/multixscale/meetings/wiki/Sync-meeting-RISC-V-2025-12-18
    - goal is to have both `foss/2025b` and `lfoss/2025b` deployed, and then eventually also a patched LLVM
    - effort on deploying `foss/2025b` is actively going
    - for now only for `riscv64/generic`, later also targetting Banana Pi with RISC-V Vector support

***
### Updates on WP1, WP5, WP6, WP7, WP8

#### WP1

- CUDA support in EESSI 2025.06 WIP (Caspar)
- SURF hired intern (Aayush) to work on AMD GPU ROCm support
    - meeting on Wed 14 Jan'26
- draft roadmap for EESSI in 2026
    - discussed in yesterday's EESSI Happy Hour
    - also to be discussed in EESSI update meeting on Thu 15 Jan
- try to quantify transition from EESSI 2023.06 to 2025.06 in terms of # PRs
- new build cluster to be set up in AWS so we can start building for Zen5
    - and then migrate from current build cluster to new one
    - UiB already has Zen5, so has RUG
    - we can start doing this already
        - spin up new cluster in Barcelona region with latest Magic Castle (Alan/Kenneth)
        - close the gap for Zen5 (Bob/Caspar)
        - work towards migrating away from old build cluster
- NVHPC toolchain in EESSI?
    - can we redistribute NVHPC?
    - can we build stuff with NVHPC and only ship runtime stuff?
        - need to check NVHPC EULA...
        - talk to NVIDIA about this, maybe through JSC/JUPITER?
    - users are asking for this because they see better performance with NVHPC
    - QuantumESPRESSO requires use of NVIDIA SDK to build with GPU support
    - could collaborate with ASC on this, they already ship NVHPC on top of EESSI on their system

#### WP5

- support rotation
    - UB no longer involved for now (which is sort of OK)
- EESSI test suite
    - milestone 6 was hit (tests for MultiXscale key apps)
        - new release v0.9.0: https://github.com/EESSI/test-suite/releases/tag/v0.9.0
        - see also https://www.multixscale.eu/2025/12/23/milestone-achievement/
    - changes in OpenMPI v5.x w.r.t env vars used for binding
        - some removed env vars were added back to latest PMIx/OpenMPI versions
        - using CLI option instead (`--map-by`, see https://github.com/EESSI/test-suite/pull/305)
        - see also upstream discussion @ https://github.com/open-mpi/ompi/issues/13586
    - several PRs for small internal changes in EESSI test suite
    - aim for v1.0.0 release of EESSI test suite by end of 2026?
        - need to set clear goals for this
    - interest from CINECA to adopt EESSI test suite (see EESSI Slack)
    - open EuroHPC call on benchmarking
        - https://www.eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/european-benchmarking-framework_en
        - JSC will likely apply on this?
        - CINECA may be interested too
        - combo project with JUBE + ReFrame?
        - talk on JUBE at FOSDEM'26: https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/7LEHEH-jube-hpc-workflows
        - common standard for defining benchmarks, support it in both JUBE & ReFrame
            - EESSI could be a backend to provide software installations

#### WP6

- repeat of webinar series for May-June 2026?
    - who should pull this? who has most effort left in WP6? => check with Petra
- EESSI hackathon at EuroHPC Summit 2026 won't happen
    - aiming for EuroHPC User Days 2026 in Dublin, likely on Tue 22 Sept'26
    - https://www.eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/media-events/events/eurohpc-user-days-2026-2026-09-23_en
    - Alan has good contacts at Trinity College in Dublin
- EESSI Happy Hour: keeping it going in 2026
    - future topics to be planned
        - restart cycle with introductory level topics?
        - "What is EESSI" at next Happy Hour (19 Jan)
        - "How to add software to EESSI"
        - "How to build on top of EESSI"
        - feedback on ideas for EESSI CLI?
        - update on EESSI 2025.06
            - once docs are updated
            - Alan: transition between both should work better
        - session on EESSI @ EOSC EU Node?
            - see https://www.eessi.io/docs/blog/2025/10/22/eosc
            - maybe incl. GPU support
            - we should request to make a project for EESSI/MultiXscale
        - sysadmin talking about their experience with EESSI?
            - Sebastian Achilles @ JSC ?
            - ASC, incl. software on top of EESSI
            - update on Komondor?
    - 20 attendees at first Happy Hour of 2026
    - Susana also posted this at https://hpc-portal.eu/news/in-the-spotlight/eessi-happy-hour-sessions
        - 2025 link was used, can it be changed to https://www.eessi.io/docs/training-events/2026/happy-hours-sessions/ ?
    - recordings of 19 happy hours in 2025 available at https://www.eessi.io/docs/training-events/2025/happy-hours-previous-sessions
    - living document (HackMD) for planning future EESSI Happy Hour sessions
- blog post on use of EESSI on NVIDIA DGX Spark?
    - could reach out to our contacts?
    - donation to SURF experimental testbed?

#### WP7

- Susana: newsletter is prepared
    - should include link to blog post on EuroHPC User Days 2025
- involvement in Women's History Month (March)
    - see https://www.multixscale.eu/2025/03/24/multixscale-experts-celine-merlet-and-lara-peeters-featured-in-the-sc25-hpc-ignities-womens-history-month/
    - nominations are open
        - Petra? Helena?
- Richard: reach to professors/users at university about using EESSI on their own system?
    - maybe via RUG where EESSI is available on Linux workstations?
    - cfr. talks at RSE Days BE/NL, FOSDEM'26, ...
    - more blog posts, different angles to approach EESSI (via Spack, K8S, etc.)
- repeat special action on 8th of March
    - Women's Day: https://www.multixscale.eu/2025/03/07/women-at-multixscale-coe-international-womens-day-2025/
- use remaining MultiXscale budget to build small demo cluster with Arm + RISC-V boards?
    - incl. DGX Spark: AI Factory + EPI in a box

***
### Quarterly Reports
#quarterlyreports

> [!danger] The **OneDrive shared folder** at https://ubarcelona-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/a_ocais_ub_edu/ElmofmQWco9Di3QlhN23oQsBqn5AZHTkX0mEolHIo_BGAQ?e=qrbYpp is **no longer available**.

Templates can be found in the OneDrive shared folder available at [MISSING LINK]. Please navigate to `Quarterly reports\$associated_directory`.

To comply with the requests given by Project Monitors, the following sections were added:
- Risk analysis 
	- Address new potential risks
	- Address foreseen and unforeseen risks given in the table 
- Collaborations
- Impact
- Follow-up of recommendations and comments from previous review

Each document includes instructions (colored red and grey) and its purpose is to provide an overview of the worked performed and the recommendations included.

>[!warning] Do not forget to include information on PM consumption.

>[!warning] Please complete Quartey Reports by **NEW DATE WILL BE GIVEN**.

#### Notes

- shared drive unavailable, but we can already collect PMs for 2025Q3 + 2025Q4, and bullet point list of activities per partner/WP
    - cfr. Petra's email 16 Dec'25
    - send feedback to WP leads (Kenneth/Caspar) with overview of actitivies + PMs spent per WP
    - WP6: Caspar & Kenneth will take care of this (replacing UB as WP lead)

***
### Sustainability Questionnaire
#sustainabilityquestionnaire

At least one project member from **each partner institution** received request/reminder to complete the *Sustainability Questionnaire*, whose purpose is to collect opinions/thoughts on sustainability. The collected inputs will be used for completing deliverable D7.3 - Business and sustainability plan.

**We will also gladly accept contributions from other project members.** Therefore, we invite you to help us with your ideas. If you are interested, please send me an email (petra.papez@cmm.ki.si) and I will provide you with the questionnaire. 

>[!warning] Provide us with your feedback by **January 30, 2026**.
>Send it to petra.papez@cmm.ki.si and giulia.zunino@doitnowgroup.com.

***
### Risks reported on 2026-01-08
#risks

4-UB
5-SURF
6-RIJKSUNI
7-UGent
8-UiB
9-BSC

> [!NOTE] Support rotations and technical manager

>[!NOTE] Access to the EuroHPC systems after credentials expire
>JUPITER?

- cfr. EuroHPC development project
    - currently only on Vega (until end of 2026)

>[!NOTE] AWS and AZURE sponsoring
>Did AWS extend the project?

- yes, plenty of additional credits available until end of 2026
- what if Haswell nodes are no longer available at AWS?
    - could consider going through QEMU, unclear how painful that would be
    - "local" Frankenstein cluster would be nice to have
- blog post when we spin up new build cluster in AWS?

>Still no need for AZURE?

- not really
- maybe Alan/Kenneth should schedule a call with Hugo/Davide?

> [!NOTE] RISC-V
> See: 
> - https://github.com/multixscale/meetings/wiki/Sync-meeting-RISC-V-2025-11-14
> - https://github.com/multixscale/meetings/wiki/Sync-meeting-RISC-V-2025-12-18

***
### Participation at events
#communication #dissemination #wp6 #wp7

4-UB
5-SURF
6-RIJKSUNI
7-UGent
8-UiB
9-BSC

- Geilo Winter School
    - https://www.sintef.no/projectweb/geilowinterschool/2026-uncertainty-quantification/
    - Thomas is giving a talk there on EESSI
- HIPEAC'26 in Krakow
    - Helena is participating in CoE session
    - https://hpc-portal.eu/news/in-the-spotlight/rethinking-scientific-applications-exascale-and-emerging-architectures-coe
- FOSDEM'26: 2 talks on EESSI
- participating in EuroHPC Summit 2026 in Cyprus
    - incl. MultiXscale GA meeting right after
- EasyBuild User Meeting 2026 (April 2026)
    - 3rd day focuses on EESSI
    - general update on EESSI, status on RISC-V support, maybe update on EESSI test suite
- ISC'26
    - tutorial proposal submitted on EESSI
    - proposal for Birds-of-Feather session will be submitted (by 28 Jan)
- EuroHPC User Days 2026 (23+24 Sept 2026)
    - https://www.eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/media-events/events/eurohpc-user-days-2026-2026-09-23_en
    - paper submission deadline: 30 March 2026
    - paper from technical WPs?
        - progress with EESSI, test suite, ...

***
### Publications
#publications 

4-UB
5-SURF
6-RIJKSUNI
7-UGent
8-UiB
9-BSC

> [!DONE] EESSI CI/CD Hackathon 
> MultiXscale/EESSI blog post.
- see https://www.eessi.io/docs/blog/2025/10/20/eurohpc-user-day-2025/

>[!QUESTION] Belgian RSE Day 2025
>EESSI blog post?
- Lara/Kenneth can look into this

- idea: blog post by Pieter Asselman (UGent) on EESSI hackathon that Lara/Kenneth did in Nov'25

- TODO: finish blog post on A64FX support
    - see draft at https://hackmd.io/UTRkl0wBSLmAaESta5jWSw

***
### Training
#training

>[!QUESTION] Did you send questionnaire to participants?
> - Getting Scientific Software Installed - VSC training session
> - EESSI hackathon @ Ghent University
> - EESSI Happy Hour Session

- survey to evaluate uptake of EESSI, impact from past training events?
- also for EESSI webinar series, CI/CD hackathon?
- open survey for EESSI Happy Hour
    - QR code at end of the webinar
    - post message in Slack

***
### Comments/Questions

> [!DONE] Milestone No. 6 achieved.

> [!DONE] RP2 completed

- **Amendment** 
  #amendment
  
  Completed on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
  Requested assistance of our Project Officer due to the blocking issue under JU Contribution view.
  **Persisting issue**.
  It will be submitted as soon as this issue is resolved. 

- **General Assembly Meeting**
  #generalassemblymeeting
  
  March 13, 2026, Paphos, Cyprus
  Currently, we are looking for the venue and preparing the Agenda.

> [!note] Participants
> List of project members who will attend General Assembly Meeting on-site.

| Partner         | Participant(s)  |
| --------------- | --------------  |
| 4-UB            | Ignacio?        |
| 5-SURF BV       | Caspar, Satish? |
| 6-RIJKSUNI      | Bob or Pedro?   |
| 7-UGent         | Kenneth         |
| 8-UiB           | Richard or other colleague? (not Thomas)      |
| 9-BSC           | -               |

- logistics of hybrid meeting to be figured out (w.r.t. sound)
    - Alan could share his microphone to be used

> [!question] Are there any specific topics you would like to include in the Agenda? 

- input from latest project review to be taken into account by end of project
    - maybe also earlier already in online meeting?
    - Richard will ask Petra
- more input from partners requested


- **Publishing code on ZENODO and FAIR principles**
  #verificationpackage

  [Introducing the FAIR Principles for research software](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-022-01710-x)
  [Building Better Research Software](https://carpentries-incubator.github.io/better-research-software/)
  [Building Better Research Software-Software documentation](https://carpentries-incubator.github.io/better-research-software/07-software-documentation.html#citation-file)
  [What is a `CITATION.cff` file?](https://citation-file-format.github.io/)
  [Cross-referencing a `.cff` for the reference section](https://github.com/citation-file-format/citation-file-format/issues/538)
  [HISTORY - Code & Collaborate: The FAIRytale of Software Development](https://biont.biobyte.de/gXbcd38NQQSQo27YqygV4g?view#)
  
> [!NOTE] Presentation on *how to add library/code on ZENODO* will be given by Jean-Noël during the Scientific Sync Meeting on **February 19, 2026, at 11:00 AM**. 
> If you are interested, attend meeting via the following link: https://zoom.us/j/99158642000?pwd=gUo2eU67EatNF3q0U1uD8tmxYAmm3V.1.
- Alan: may also be interested for EESSI in the future
    - "Concept DOI" for installations of key apps

- **Website**

> [!QUESTION] Your feedback and suggestions for improvements?
> N/A

- CASTIEL2

> [!NOTE] `Starting in January 2026, event announcements will appear only in the monthly “**HPC in Europe**” newsletter, published at the beginning of each month. To ensure your events are featured, each NCC and CoE must publish its own event posts directly on the portal. If you have not yet subscribed, please sign up for the “HPC in Europe” newsletter on the portal to stay up to date. The internal PMT newsletter will continue to be issued separately and will remain dedicated exclusively to PMT announcements and events organised by CASTIEL 2 and EuroCC 2.` 

- **KPI Collection**
  @Kenneth (see e-mail): `CASTIEL2-D2.6-CoE-Codes-PortingStates-Template` and **Number of community software applications and libraries contributed to EESSI** (???) and **Number of EuroHPC systems deploying EESSI** (4 systems - Karolina, Vega, Deucalion, MareNostrum 5).  

***
***

- Next meeting: Tue 10 Feb 2026 09:30-11:00 CET