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Empowering the Future with AI: Workshop on Chatbots and LLMs at NCC Montenegro

As part of the ongoing H2020-MSCA TRACEWINDU initiative to foster digital innovation and transparency across value chains, a hands-on workshop on chatbot development using Large Language Models (LLMs) and the Azure platform was held at the National Competence Center for High-Performance Computing (NCC Montenegro), hosted by the University of Donja Gorica (UDG).

This workshop was implemented as a cross-collaboration of TRACEWINDU and EUROCC2/EUROCC4SEE ptojects

The workshop brought together a vibrant group of PhD, Master’s, and Bachelor students, alongside AI and HPC researchers and mentors from UDG—key TRACEWINDU and EUROCC4SEE project partners—highlighting the growing interest and expertise in cutting-edge AI technologies across disciplines.

Leading the session were Ms. Daliborka Nedić and Ms. Senka Gajinov from DunavNET, an innovation-driven technology company and core partner in the TRACEWINDU consortium. Their expert lecture provided attendees with valuable insights into the rapidly evolving world of generative AI and practical guidance on building intelligent chatbot solutions using Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI services.

Around 20 people attended, mostly PhD, MSc and BSc researchers interested in AI and HPC

The workshop covered key concepts such as:

  • The fundamentals of Large Language Models (LLMs) and their applications in chatbot development
  • Integration of LLMs within the Azure AI ecosystem
  • Best practices in prompt engineering and knowledge grounding
  • Real-life use cases aligned with transparency, automation, and user engagement in value chains

Beyond chatbot development, the discussion extended to the integration of computer vision models—particularly those aimed at automating data collection in value chains—and the use of HPC resources to support their deployment. Participants explored ideas for combining conversational AI interfaces with real-time computer vision capabilities, opening up possibilities for smarter, more interactive systems across agri-food and other sectors.

This collaborative brainstorming set the stage for future joint initiatives, where chatbots could serve as intuitive front-ends to complex AI models running on high-performance computing infrastructures—bridging accessibility and computational power for impactful solutions. This workshop is part of a broader capacity-building effort within TRACEWINDU and EUROCC4SEE, designed to empower young researchers and professionals with the tools and knowledge needed to innovate responsibly in the age of AI TRACEWINDU continues to bridge digital technologies and real-world value chain transformation.

Ms Daliborka Nedic and Ms Senka Gajinov from DNET at UDG
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Invitation to participate in a short HPC/AI training for business users

We invite your company to join our specialized training on High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), designed for business users. The training will take place on April 16, 2025, at 10:00 AM at the University of Donja Gorica (UDG).

Introduction to HPC is a short course that requires no prior technical knowledge. It is designed to provide beginners with fundamental insights into high-performance computing, addressing key questions: WHY and HOW to use supercomputers.

This course offers practical insights into how HPC and AI can enhance research, development, and innovation, optimize business processes, and transform business models across various industries.

HPC/AI training for business users

During the course (90 minutes + direct consultations upon request), participants will:

  • Gain an understanding of the technical and commercial aspects of HPC systems and applications
  • Explore the possibilities and benefits of HPC and AI through industry examples and success stories
  • Learn how to assess readiness for adopting HPC technologies
  • Learn how to access Europe’s top supercomputers (at no additional cost! 😊).

The course is tailored for managers, experts, and professionals who want to understand the potential of modern technologies and their applications in everyday business operations. It is ideal for those seeking advanced computing solutions (HPC) and intelligent algorithms (AI) to enhance their work and business.

Join us and discover how HPC and AI can become your competitive advantage!

📅 Date & Time: April 16, 2025, at 10:00 AM
📍 Venue: Amphitheater AS, University of Donja Gorica
📝 Registration: https://forms.gle/wHq31ioQaQbLjqMU9

📩 For more information:  Sanja.nikolic@udg.edu.me

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Consultations on a new application for HPC resources with PAID Montenegro

Members of the NCC Montenegro team, Prof. Dr. Enis Kočan, Prof. Dr. Nikola Žarić and Assist. Prof. Luka Filipović visited on Friday, March 28, the company PAID Montenegro, which represents an example of efficient use of HPC resources, as well as an example of good cooperation with NCC Montenegro. Namely, as part of the development of its stock exchange trading model, PAID-T, the company received access to HPC resources on the LUMI supercomputer in April 2024. Prior to this application, the NCC Montenegro team had several meetings with representatives of the PAID Montenegro company, where they were presented with the services of the national HPC competence center offered within the EuroCC2/EuroCC4SEE projects, and were also provided with support in completing the application for the Development call. Even before the expiration of the one-year deadline, through work on the development of the PAID-T model, the company has spent the allocated 15,000 node-hours on partition C of the LUMI supercomputer, and is already preparing a Report on the results and experiences so far.

Meeting with Paid MNE

Since the work on the development of the PAID-T model is not completed, the PAID Montenegro company plans to re-apply to one of the calls for access to supercomputer resources in Europe. Continuing the good cooperation, the NCC Montenegro team first presented the current and future calls organized within the EuroHPC JU ecosystem. Through an analysis of the expected future needs for HPC resources of the PAID-T company, taking into account the dynamics of publishing calls for access to HPC resources by the end of 2025, as well as the resources made available to users through these calls, it was proposed that the PAID-T company re-submit an application to the same type of call (Development call). It was suggested that they also apply for resources on the LUMI-G partition this time. It was agreed to continue contacts with the NCC Montenegro team and provide support in writing a new application for HPC resources.

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Montenegro Project Among Winners of FFplus HPC Innovation Call (Stats)

The Fortissimo Plus (FFplus) project recently concluded its first Open Call for Business Experiments, aimed at encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt High-Performance Computing (HPC) technologies. Launched on June 21, 2024, and closed on September 4, 2024, the call attracted 126 proposals from 220 organizations across 30 European countries. After a rigorous evaluation process, 19 sub-projects were selected for funding, involving 43 organizations, including 34 SMEs, demonstrating the initiative’s success in promoting HPC adoption among SMEs.

Summary of FFPlus Open Call 1 results (image: FFPlus)

Among the selected sub-projects is “Transforming Business Culture and Hiring Through High-Performance Computing GenAI-HPC4WB,” a notable initiative from Montenegro by a startup company called Recrewty. This project aims to revolutionize recruitment processes in the Balkan region by integrating generative artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and HPC. By analyzing psychometric data, CVs, and interviews using AI models tailored to regional languages—Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosnian, and Croatian—the project seeks to enhance hiring accuracy and efficiency. Utilizing HPC resources enables the processing of large datasets, improving the scalability and precision of these AI-driven assessments.

It is great to see Montenegro on this map (image: FFPlus)

The success of the GenAI-HPC4WB project underscores the growing competence and innovation capacity within Montenegro’s tech community. The HPC Montenegro team played a pivotal role in supporting the proposal’s development, reflecting the country’s commitment to advancing HPC applications and fostering collaboration between academia and industry. This achievement not only highlights Montenegro’s active participation in European HPC initiatives but also sets a precedent for future projects aiming to leverage advanced computing technologies to address regional challenges.

More information on FFPlus website at [link].

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Successful application for HPC resources, Faculty of Science and Mathematics of the UoM

A team of researchers from the Center for Computer Science of the Faculty of Science and Mathematics, through the EuroCC2/EuroCC4SEE project, with the support of the NCC team of Montenegro, has gained access to the resources of the Leonardo HPC supercomputer. These resources will be used for the efficient development of a system for automatic segmentation of 3D views of mechanical assemblies obtained using 3D scanners. Identification of assembled parts and their relative positions is an important step for reverse engineering, automation of the disassembly process, quality control, AR and VR, etc. These activities are carried out within the project “AI segmentation and inspection by 3D scanning”, in cooperation with partners from France.

Successful application for HPC resources at Leonardo (Benchmark call)

Access to HPC resources is provided for a period of three months, through a successful application to the Benchmark call. During this period, the goal is to demonstrate the ability to efficiently use advanced computing resources, thus earning the right to apply to the Regular call for HPC resources

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BSc Thesis: Attendance System Based on Face Recognition

Mr Aleksandar vesovic defended his BSc thesis on the use of AI and HPC to develop a solution for attendance records in schools or universities. His mentors were Stevan Cakic and Tomo Popovic. He defended his theses on Friday, 28 March.

The theses and presentation discussed the integration of AI models into a web application and HPC integration

ABSTRACT – This thesis addresses the challenge of tracking student attendance in lectures through facial recognition. The aim of the research is to develop and implement a system that allows for automatic and accurate attendance tracking, thereby eliminating traditional methods that are often prone to errors and manipulation. The study analyzes the latest technologies in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and high- performance computing ( HPC) to achieve optimal accuracy and system efficiency. The implementation was tested on a sample of students and demonstrated high accuracy in facial recognition and attendance recording. This work also considers ethical aspects and p r ivacy concerns, given the sensitivity of the data collected and processed. The results suggest that applying facial recognition technology in an educational setting can significantly improve administrative processes while maintaining student security and privacy. Finally, possible future applications and recommendations for further system discussed.

HPC4S3ME and EUROCC2/EUROCC4SEE team members mentored and supported this research
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Using Generative AI to Transform Poultry Farming with Computer Vision

A new scientific publication by researchers from the University of Donja Gorica and DunavNET explores the innovative use of generative AI in digital agriculture. Titled “Evaluating the FLUX.1 Synthetic Data on YOLOv9 for AI-Powered Poultry Farming”, the study demonstrates how synthetic data, generated using FLUX.1, can effectively enhance deep learning models for chicken detection in smart farms. The paper was published in the Journal of Applied Sciences, a special issue dedicated to the application of computer vision in industry and agriculture [link].

Using generative AI to create sytnhetic data used to train computer vision models for agriculture sector

By combining real and AI-generated images and streamlining annotation with Grounding DINO and SAM2 models, the team achieved impressive detection accuracy—proving that generative AI can bridge the data gap in precision farming. This research is a part of broader efforts including PhD research of mr. Stevan Cakic, as well as collaboration with company that produces smart agriculture platform. The research was done in the context of HPC4S3ME project. This was also supported through EuroCC Montenegro initiatives, showcasing how high-performance computing and AI can drive sustainable innovation in agriculture.

High-level architecture used for experiment execution

ABSTRACT – This research explores the role of synthetic data in enhancing the accuracy of deep learning models for automated poultry farm management. A hybrid dataset was created by combining real images of chickens with 400 FLUX.1 [dev] generated synthetic images, aiming to reduce reliance on extensive manual data collection. The YOLOv9 model was trained on various dataset compositions to assess the impact of synthetic data on detection performance. Additionally, automated annotation techniques utilizing Grounding DINO and SAM2 streamlined dataset labeling, significantly reducing manual effort. Experimental results demonstrate that models trained on a balanced combination of real and synthetic images performed comparably to those trained on larger, augmented datasets, confirming the effectiveness of synthetic data in improving model generalization. The best-performing model trained on 300 real and 100 synthetic images achieved mAP = 0.829, while models trained on 100 real and 300 synthetic images reached mAP = 0.820, highlighting the potential of generative AI to bridge data scarcity gaps in precision poultry farming. This study demonstrates that synthetic data can enhance AI-driven poultry monitoring and reduce the importance of collecting real data.

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