University of Sarajevo to Receive Its First HPC System: A Foundation for Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence, and Advanced Research in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Government of the Sarajevo Canton has approved the inclusion of the project "High-Performance Research Computing Infrastructure at the University of Sarajevo" in the Sarajevo Canton Public Investment Program for the period 2027–2029. This represents a significant step toward the technological and scientific modernization of society.
This strategic project involves establishing the first public institutional High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina—a powerful supercomputer designed as a "Computational Commons," a shared digital resource intended for the academic community, public institutions, and the private sector. The new infrastructure will enable the solving of the most complex tasks and the processing of massive data volumes that would take months on ordinary computers.
This initiative opens doors to top-tier research and the resolution of the most demanding computational challenges: from complex engineering simulations, energy system modeling, and digital twins, to the development of a modern Bosnian language model and applications of artificial intelligence, as well as advancements in genomics, biotechnology, personalized medicine, public administration, and modern social sciences. Implementing this project will also create essential conditions for strengthening the competitiveness of domestic companies and startups, reducing the costs associated with using external resources, and enabling more active participation in prestigious international programs and European Union projects.
"Our goal is to place the most powerful technology in the hands of our minds, ensuring that our academic community, innovators, and economy have the infrastructure without which there is no progress in the 21st century. With this project, we are directly eliminating existing limitations, providing our students, young researchers, and scientists with world-class working conditions, and creating an unbreakable link between top-tier science and the business sector," said Nihad Uk, Prime Minister of the Sarajevo Canton.
Minister of Science, Higher Education, and Youth of the Sarajevo Canton, Dušanka Bošković, emphasized the vision and long-term effects of this investment, highlighting its practical application and socio-economic justification.
"The first phase of the project involves the procurement of specific advanced equipment, alongside parallel procurements related to the necessary cooling and power supply systems required for such a system. The previous practice, in which our researchers were forced to use modest resources or seek expensive solutions abroad, is no longer sustainable. For serious scientific development and to retain our highest-quality researchers, we must ensure top-tier working conditions," Minister Bošković stated.
