e-infrastructures include elements – HPC, data, AI, network – which have become critical to all RIs, from Particle Physics to Astronomy, from climate modelling to Medicine. Much of science today is data driven. The demand for computing capacity continues to surge, driven by the necessity for more precise simulations and data analytics. The digital transition has fostered the development of new user communities, notably in fields like Social Sciences & Humanities. Additionally, the integration of AI applications, such as natural language processing, have significantly contributed to this escalating demand.

The development of high-performance computing has unlocked the potential of Artificial Intelligence techniques which can in turn greatly advance the quality and effectiveness of HPC simulations through Machine Learning, leading to even greater performance. With the advent of new AI-centric HPC systems – typically large-scale GPU based systems – and the consolidation of the European HPC ecosystem through the EuroHPC initiative, new capacities are underway and will lead to new insights supporting scientific discovery and innovation.

The European Open Science Cloud is expected to further consolidate the European Research Infrastructure ecosystem by offering researchers from all disciplines seamless, open access to advanced digital capabilities, resources and expertise they need to collaborate and to carry out data- and computing-intensive science.

Over the past decade, Open Science has become a policy priority in Europe, establishing itself as the standard method within the European Commission’s research and innovation funding programmes.

The discussion around infrastructure, particularly e-infrastructure, is intricately tied to Open Science, relying extensively, and increasingly, on digital technologies. 

Digital transformation is reshaping research practice by introducing novel tools for accessing, analysing, sharing, and preserving research data. Open Science builds on this transformation, enabling enhanced discoverability and easier access to, and reuse of, scientific content.

The development of European infrastructures has also impacted funding methods, with an increasing pooling of resources from the European Commission and Member States. Previously, EU funding for horizontal digital infrastructures targeted project costs, primarily related to personnel costs, while computing and data management capacities relied heavily on national centres. In EuroHPC, funding is also directed towards acquiring the computing infrastructure itself, thus enabling European joint resourcing and clearer resource allocation processes. EuroHPC has also fostered collaboration between Member States on joint infrastructure deployment and operation. Tighter collaboration in Europe with EU incentives is poised to improve quality and cost efficiency, thereby contributing to the realisation and consolidation of the ERA.