The launch of Gefion, an AI supercomputer built on NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, happened with much fanfare today. The ceremony included amongst others NVIDIAs CEO and founder Jensen Huang and HM King Frederik X of Denmark. The supercomputer marks a new era for this regions research capabilities. Announced at a high-profile event in Copenhagen, the system aims to transform fields like quantum computing and green energy. Funded by a public-private partnership, including the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO), Gefion is designed to provide cutting-edge computing power to academic and industry researchers.
“Denmark recognises that to innovate in AI, the most impactful technology of our time, it must foster a domestic AI infrastructure and ecosystem. The Gefion supercomputer will supercharge the scientists of Denmark with local AI computing infrastructure to drive advancements in life sciences, climate research and quantum computing,”
said Jensen Huang, founder of NVIDIA
With this vision, Gefion is set to play a pivotal role in Denmark’s transition to a leader in AI-driven research, fostering advancements across sectors and boosting the country’s global standing in technology and innovation.
“It’s a remarkable achievement that it has taken only six months from announcement to completion of this complex state-of-the-art supercomputer.”
says Nadia Carlsten, CEO of DCAI
This pace highlights the importance of advanced AI tools in Denmark’s tech landscape. The supercomputer’s design integrates NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs and NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking, enabling unprecedented computing capacity. This makes Gefion a critical resource for complex data processing, offering tools that traditional CPU-based systems cannot match.
Backed by substantial investments from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and EIFO, the project signifies Denmark’s ambitions in AI.
“Establishing Gefion is a milestone, and it fits very well with the Foundation’s vision of improving people’s health and the sustainability of society.”
says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation
The partnership with global data center provider Digital Realty ensures that Gefion operates sustainably, with 100% renewable energy.
Gefion’s capabilities will be tested through a pilot phase, engaging with researchers from institutions like the University of Copenhagen and DTU, and startups such as Go Autonomous and Teton. These projects will explore diverse fields, including quantum computing, CO2 reduction, and AI-based healthcare solutions.
The first pilot projects
- “Large-scale distributed simulation of quantum algorithms for quantifying molecular recognition processes.”
Project by: University of Copenhagen - “Unravelling CO2 reduction in Non-Metal Formate Dehydrogenase (FDH) using Machine-Learned Force Fields.”
Project by: Technical University of Denmark - “Multimodal genomic foundation model”
Project by: University of Copenhagen - “Multi-Modal Document Understanding: Transforming Data Entry with Multi-Modal Precision.”
Project by: Go Autonomous - “Building an AI Care Companion with Large Video Pretraining.”
Project by: Teton and the University of Copenhagen - “SAPIEN – Skilful Atmospheric Prediction with Intelligent Environmental Networks.”
Project by: Danish Meteorological Institute
