EPICURE Hackathon: Code optimisation for heterogeneous HPC environments
Participants can join one of two tracks: the Custom Track, focused on optimising their own projects with mentor support, or the Guided Track, based on starter projects provided by the organisers. Mentors will be available in both tracks to offer advice and technical guidance.
Throughout the hackathon, participants will address real optimisation challenges, explore advanced techniques for CPUs, GPUs, and other accelerators, and share knowledge with members of the European HPC community.
The event will take place from April 27 to 29, 2026, in a hybrid format (online and on-site) at INESC TEC, Porto, Portugal.
Why join the hackathon?
- Hands-on HPC & Experience – Learn to train and deploy large language models, run molecular simulations, and explore quantum computing workflows using high-performance computing resources;
- Cutting-Edge Tools & Frameworks – Gain practical experience with state-of-the-art frameworks like LLaMA.cpp, vLLMs, AlphaFold3, VMD, Qiskit, GROMACS, NAMD and workflow managers such as Nextflow;
- Optimise & Scale Scientific Workflows – Learn performance profiling, parallel computing, and automation techniques to accelerate real-world scientific computations efficiently;
- Collaborative Innovation & Problem Solving – Work with peers on challenging projects, explore AI, HPC, and quantum integration, and receive guidance from expert mentors in a collaborative environment.
Registration
Registration is free but mandatory. Please register here by April 15, 2026.
Agenda
April 27, Monday
09:00 – 09:30 Registration
09:30 – 09:45 Welcome to the Hackathon | António Sousa (INESC TEC & UMinho & CNCA & Deucalion)
09:45 – 10:15 Getting Started with EPICURE: Projects and Support | Alícia Oliveira (INESC TEC & Deucalion)
10:15 – 11:00 Keynote and Q&A: “Optimising AI Workflows on High-Performance Systems” | Cláudia Brito (INESC TEC & University of Minho)
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 – 12:30 Keynote and Q&A: Ziyad AlBanoby (Barcelona Supercomputing Centre)
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 Hands-on
- Custom Track: Work on your own projects with mentor support
- Guided Track: Work on the provided starter projects with guidance
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:30 Hands-on
- Custom Track
- Guided Track
18:00 Welcome Reception
April 28, Tuesday
09:00 – 09:30 Registration
09:30 – 09:45 Welcome to the Hackathon | António Sousa (INESC TEC & UMinho & CNCA & Deucalion)
09:45 – 10:15 Getting Started with EPICURE: Projects and Support | Alícia Oliveira (INESC TEC & Deucalion)
10:15 – 11:00 Keynote and Q&A: “Optimising AI Workflows on High-Performance Systems” | Cláudia Brito (INESC TEC & University of Minho)
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 – 12:30 Keynote and Q&A: Ziyad AlBanoby (Barcelona Supercomputing Centre)
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 Hands-on
- Custom Track: Work on your own projects with mentor support
- Guided Track: Work on the provided starter projects with guidance
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:30 Hands-on
- Custom Track
- Guided Track
18:00 Welcome Reception
April 29, Wednesday
09:30-10:30 Keynote and Q&A: “Using GPUs for their intended purpose”: from interactive parallel visualization to digital twins in VR and AR” | Uwe Wössner (High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart)
10:30-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00-12:30 Hands-on
- Custom Track
- Guided Track
12:30-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:00 Final Presentations and Achievements
15:00-16:00 Awards and Closing