Empowering Business through HPC and AI

On April 16, 2025, the UDG hosted a HPC/AI workshop designed for business users and non-technical audience. The workshop provided a concise introduction to HPC and AI technologies emphasizing their growing relevance for accelerating digital transformation, advancing research & development, and strengthening industry competitiveness. Participants gained valuable insights into how supercomputing technologies can be leveraged to accelerate production development and innovation cycles, optimize business operations and decision-making processes.

 Key highlights of the workshop included:

  • A clear and practical overview of  both commercial and technical aspects of HPC systems
  • Real-world use cases showcasing the HPC/AI impact and benefits across industries
  • Guidance to access Europe’s top-tier supercomputing infrastructure

The session is concluded with optional one-on-one consultations, allowing attendees to explore how advanced technologies like HPC and AI could be integrated into their specific business strategies and innovation ideas.

Training on High Performance Computing Held at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering

On April 14, 2025, a training session titled “Introduction to High Performance Computing (HPC)” was held at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Montenegro. The event gathered faculty members and young researchers from various scientific fields.

The training was led by Dr. Milutin Radonjić, NCC Montenegro team member, who introduced participants to the fundamental concepts of high performance computing, including HPC architectures, supercomputer components, and current applications across science, engineering, healthcare, and finance.

NCC team organized a training session at the Faculty for Electrical Engineering

Key topics included:

  • The historical development of HPC – from early mainframes to modern exascale systems,
  • The architecture of supercomputers, including CPUs, GPUs, interconnects, and memory,
  • Challenges in scalability, energy efficiency, and data security,
  • Opportunities to access HPC resources through the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking initiatives, including systems such as LUMI, Leonardo, MareNostrum 5, and others.

Participants were also introduced to services of National Competence Centre for HPC, and were guided through application procedures for EuroHPC Development, Benchmark, and Regular Access Calls.

This training represents an important step toward integrating HPC into local research initiatives and strengthening collaboration with the European supercomputing ecosystem.

Introduction to High Performance Computing (HPC)

EuroCC2/EuroCC4SEE project presented at Research Day 2025 @ UDG

The 13th Research Day, held on April 4, 2025, at the University of Donja Gorica (UDG), once again brought together a vibrant community of researchers, students, and professionals committed to advancing knowledge, innovation, and research.

Organized in collaboration with the Statistical Office of Montenegro – MONSTAT and the Public Opinion Research Agency – DAMAR, the event served as a dynamic platform for sharing ongoing projects and research initiatives. This year’s focus was placed on the strategic use of statistical data, interdisciplinary research approaches, digital tools and data-driven decision-making. The MONSTAT presented in-depth socio-economic analyses based on the latest Census results in Montenegro, while the DAMAR-LAB initiative showcased advanced neuromarketing research potential, using eye-tracking technologies.

Among UDG’s flagship research projects, the EUROCC2/EuroCC4SEE was featured, demonstrating the increasing relevance of HPC and AI technologies for predictive analytics, complex simulations and scenario modelling. A representative of NCC Montenegro highlighted the growing capabilities in HPC/AI-driven research excellence, industry applications, training opportunities, and key findings from the HPC4SME market study.

Events like this strengthen collaboration between academia, industry, and public institutions, laying the foundation for smarter and sustainable ecosystem of research, development, and innovation.

https://www.cdm.me/drustvo/povodom-dana-studenata-udg-monstat-i-damar-organizuju-trinaesti-dan-istrazivanja

https://www.gov.me/clanak/obiljezen-dan-istrazivanja-2025

HPC Montenegro @ STP: Connecting with Innovative Companies and the Startup Ecosystem during Open Day

On April 3, 2025, representatives of HPC NCC Montenegro attended the Open Day hosted by the Science and Technology Park (STP) of Montenegro, seizing the opportunity to connect with innovative companies, startups, and entrepreneurs with the potential to leverage HPC for AI-driven projects.

Paid MNE

Among the STP residents who participated in the event and presented their ideas were ONEAI, Artificial Intelligence Software Solutions, Azoteq, G Consulting, the Institute of Contemporary Technologies of Montenegro, Logik Montenegro, Modrone, Montezuma, Uhura, Paid.mne, Ninamedia Clipping, Sjever.me, the Center for Finance, and Web Falcon.

One AI

It was inspiring to hear testimonials from Uhura, Paid.mne, and ONEAI, who already benefit from access to leading EuroHPC supercomputers, including LUMI and LEONARDO. These success stories are the result of fruitful collaboration with NCC Montenegro and the support received through Development Calls.

Uhura

In this vibrant setting, HPC NCC Montenegro representatives engaged with prospective companies and innovative teams to raise awareness of the Montenegrin NCC and European HPC resources, explore potential collaborations and training opportunities, and support access to advanced computing infrastructure for research, development, and innovation.

The NTP Open Day proved to be a dynamic platform for identifying HPC/AI potential, strengthening partnerships, and accelerating digital innovation in Montenegro [link].

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

Exploring AI and Misinformation: Workshop and Panel Discussion

A workshop and panel discussion on the topic of AI and Misinformation took place at the University of Donja Gorica (UDG) on March 27th. The event was organized in collaboration with the Montenegrin EU House, the Young European Ambassadors (YEA) for Montenegro, and NCC Montenegro. The event brought together students, faculty, and youth ambassadors in an engaging and insightful session led by young AI expert Igor Ćulafić. Opening remarks were delivered by prof. Tomo Popović (NCC Montenegro, UDG) and Dado Dervanović, a representative from the EU House, setting the tone for a stimulating evening of discussion.

Event took place at UDG, opening remarks by prof. Tomo Popovic and Dado Dervanovic

Igor Ćulafić’s presentation delved into both the constructive and malicious uses of artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on how AI can be misused for spreading misinformation. Through vivid examples, including several from his own work, Ćulafić demonstrated the power of AI-generated content and the importance of digital literacy in an AI-driven world. The talk also highlighted how advances in HPC have accelerated the capabilities of AI models, making them more powerful and accessible — but also more susceptible to misuse.

There was around 60 attendees

A key message of the event was the importance of education and awareness in combating misinformation. Attendees were introduced to practical methods for identifying manipulated content online and were inspired to think critically about the information they consume and share. Ćulafić also emphasized the empowering aspects of AI, encouraging students not to fear these tools but rather to explore how they can be used for innovation and societal benefit. In this context, HPC plays a crucial role in supporting large-scale data processing and training of AI models, providing the necessary infrastructure for research, experimentation, and development of trustworthy digital tools.

Kee messages were to promote responsible AI adoption and utilisatino of powerful technology such as HPC

The event exemplified EUROCC2’s mission to promote responsible AI adoption, HPC awareness, and digital skills among young people in Montenegro. By fostering dialogue between experts, students, and institutions, it highlighted the importance of collaboration in building resilience to online threats while unlocking the positive potential of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing technologies.

Meeting between IEC Tehnopolis and NCC Montenegro

On March 25, 2025, representatives of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) Tehnopolis Nikšić welcomed a NCC Montenegro.

At IEC Tehnopolis, we were greeted by Željko Lučić and Đorđe Brkuljan, who provided an presentation on their center’s activities, support programs, and the startups they mentor. They highlighted the role of IEC Tehnopolis in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in Montenegro.

Luka Filipović, representing NCC Montenegro, shared an overview of our activities, training programs, and success stories, emphasizing how high-performance computing (HPC) is driving innovation and development. He also presented the opportunities available through NCC Montenegro, including access to EuroHPC resources, training, and expert support.

Presentation of NCC Montenegro activities

The discussion focused on identifying opportunities for collaboration, particularly how NCC Montenegro can support startups led by Tehnopolis in scaling their development efforts. By leveraging EuroHPC infrastructure and expertise, startups can accelerate their innovation processes and enhance their competitiveness.