On 4 November 2025, Future Needs organised and led the HiDALGO2 Project Clustering Event in Stuttgart, Germany, hosted by HLRS – High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart. The one-day gathering brought together HPC, AI and climate-modelling experts from across Europe to explore how AI-optimised supercomputers and large-scale simulations can address urgent real-world challenges – from energy efficiency and pollution to disaster prediction and resilient urban planning.
With 18 speakers and a full day of discussions, the event provided a strategic space for collaboration between European initiatives working at the intersection of high-performance computing, big data and societal impact.
The conversations focused on practical, high-impact questions that Europe’s HPC and AI ecosystem is actively tackling:
- What challenges will Europe’s AI Factories be used for?
- How can HPC help simulate urban air quality and thermal comfort at city scale?
- What do digital twins enable for sustainable, resilient cities?
Photo Highlights
Future Needs’ role: turning clustering into outcomes
For Future Needs, this was the result of months of preparation, partner coordination, and community-building as part of our work in Horizon Europe’s HiDALGO2 Project. Clustering is not a “nice-to-have” add-on; it’s how EU projects multiply their impact. By bringing the right people into the same room, we help create the conditions for new collaborations, shared directions, and follow-up actions that last beyond a single event.
Alongside organising the event, our team also conducted expert interviews to capture perspectives on the future of urban planning and Europe’s HPC & AI ecosystem, supporting HiDALGO2’s wider communication and exploitation efforts.
We also contributed as speakers and moderators:
- Georgia Nikolakopoulou (Head of Dissemination, Future Needs) participated in the panel: “Digital Twins for Sustainable Cities: From Buildings to Urban Air”
- The panel was moderated by Kyriaki Daskaloudi (Innovation Project Manager, Future Needs)
A key theme echoed throughout the day was the need to communicate HPC and AI not only through technical milestones, but through tangible societal benefits – from protecting public health via better air-quality modelling to improving preparedness for climate-related risks.
What we’re taking forward
The HiDALGO2 Clustering Event reinforced a clear message: Europe’s biggest challenges won’t be solved in silos. When HPC experts, AI developers, climate scientists, urban planners and innovation actors work side-by-side, we move faster, and we move together.
Stay connected for the next updates from HiDALGO2 via the project’s website and LinkedIn, where we regularly share results, stories from the community, and upcoming opportunities to engage.
Learn more about the event here.
