Megaride, the new supercomputer dedicated to cybersecurity and infrastructure for research and innovation, inaugurated in Naples

Naples, 27 June – This morning, at the technology hub of the University of Naples Federico II in San Giovanni a Teduccio, the inauguration ceremony was held for the Megaride high-performance computing system, created through an initiative of the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) and the Ministry of University and Research (MUR), with the support of ICSC – National Research Centre for HPC Big Data and Quantum Computing, the National Research Council (CNR) and Cineca, which hosts and manages the data centre at its headquarters in Naples. Megaride’s objective is to support and promote scientific research, both in academia and industry, and the country’s cybersecurity through the development of advanced solutions based on Artificial Intelligence.

The event opened with a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Minister for Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, and the Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communication, Networks, Content and Technology at the European Commission, Roberto Viola, the Director-General of the National Cybersecurity Agency, Bruno Frattasi, the Rector of the University of Naples Federico II, Matteo Lorito, and the Mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi. This was followed by the screening of a video message from the Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Alfredo Mantovano.

The name chosen for the supercomputer pays homage to one of the most iconic places in the city of Naples, the islet on which Castel dell’Ovo stands, underlining the link with a territory where the clash of cultures has fostered the creation of new knowledge since ancient times. With Megaride, the capital of Campania is relaunching and consolidating its role as a capital of knowledge and innovation, positioning itself as one of the crucial nodes of the European HPC ecosystem.

Equally significant is the importance that the project assumes at national level, in light of the increase in cutting-edge computing technologies that the new Cineca structure will make available to the research sector and the Italian IT security ecosystem coordinated by ACN. These public resources will aim to promote innovation, technology transfer and secure digital transition, encouraging growth and competitiveness across the entire country while complying with regulations protecting data confidentiality and privacy.

Characterised by high energy efficiency and an HPC system powered by 28,000 processors (Central Processing Units, CPUs) and 340 accelerators (Graphics Processing Units, GPUs), Megaride will be interconnected and will operate jointly with Leonardo – one of the ten most powerful supercomputers in the world – ensuring optimised performance for the development of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning tools. Among these, advanced methods for safeguarding national and European cybersecurity are particularly relevant to the project’s objectives.

Supporting cybersecurity needs will be one of the main purposes of the data centre, where part of the HPC resources will form the technological core of HyperSOC, the current system developed by ACN to support Security Operations Centres in managing and monitoring national threats, currently in operation in various public and private sector organisations. In the field of cybersecurity, the supercomputer will also be dedicated to applied research, innovation and technology transfer in the sector to support national industrial capabilities aimed at sustaining national and European strategic autonomy.

The acquisition and installation of the new data centre, which received total funding of approximately €50 million, is part of a broader set of initiatives promoting sovereignty and autonomy in strategic technologies such as supercomputing. These initiatives are promoted by the Italian government through the MUR and the Department for Digital Transformation, and have been implemented over the last two years thanks to resources made available by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

Megaride represents a fundamental step in the construction of the distributed supercomputing infrastructure of the ICSC National Centre, of which the new data centre will be an integral part. It is a public resource that aims to meet the innovation needs of all players in the country’s economic system. The second pillar of action within which the project is situated is dedicated to measures aimed at strengthening Italy’s position in safeguarding Italian and European cybersecurity, an essential element today for the ethical use of digital solutions that respects the fundamental rights of citizens.

“The purchase of high-performance computers for the Cineca site in San Giovanni a Teduccio will, on the one hand, enable the development of technical cybersecurity solutions based on artificial intelligence and enhance national cyber protection capabilities in both the private and public sectors. on the other hand, it provides the world of research, start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises in the area with a cutting-edge infrastructure capable of bringing about a change of pace in technological innovation. Initiatives such as today’s demonstrate the government’s commitment to ensuring that the process of “creative destruction” that characterises every revolution, particularly the industrial revolution and the artificial intelligence revolution, translates into the creation of value and new opportunities that offset the price and cost of change, with the ability to look ahead and face this new challenge with confidence,’ said Alfredo Mantovano, Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, in his video message.

“The inauguration of the Megaride Data Centre is not just a symbolic moment. It is a turning point. It is the start of a powerful engine that will bring Naples – and with it Italy – to the centre of Europe’s technological future. This project is the result of a national vision, a scientific strategy that we have promoted, coordinated and financed with enthusiasm as the Ministry of University and Research. Today’s achievement is a starting point. It is the beginning of a new challenge. Because science never stops. And its goal is always on the move,” commented Minister of Universities and Research Anna Maria Bernini.

Megaride represents just the latest success for the Italian HPC ecosystem, which plays a leading role in Europe. It is a further step towards building a European enabling infrastructure for high-performance computing. It exemplifies and reconciles both aspects that guide continental strategies and interventions in the field of new strategic digital technologies: support for innovation, which includes the development of a competitive AI supply chain, and a focus on cybersecurity and the protection of citizens’ data privacy, which are central to the European Commission’s agenda. Competitiveness and security are two key objectives for Europe. Italy is playing an indisputable leadership role, as demonstrated by today’s celebrated result and the recent selection to host one of the main AI Factories funded by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking,” emphasises Roberto Viola, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology.

‘With Megaride,’ added Antonio Zoccoli, President of the ICSC National Centre, “it adds a new decisive piece to its distributed supercomputing infrastructure, bringing it closer to achieving the project’s objectives, financed by the MUR, within the timeframe established by the PNRR. We can already appreciate the benefits of this investment, such as the development of new skills capable of driving future technological developments and the creation of a competitive and attractive ecosystem at an international level, as evidenced by the latest editions of reports ranking countries with the highest concentration of supercomputing resources, which see Italy consistently occupying the top positions and contributing decisively to European performance.”

“We are proud of this achievement, which is the result of teamwork that provides the Italian innovation ecosystem with a new public tool. It is a resource that will benefit academic research, the manufacturing system and national cybersecurity. This milestone confirms Cineca’s growing commitment to strengthening the country’s competitiveness by making supercomputing increasingly accessible and usable as an enabling technology. This commitment is also fully reflected in the expansion of Cineca’s Naples office, where the new Megaride system took shape,’ emphasises Cineca President Francesco Ubertini.