Greece’s new national supercomputer, Daedalus, launched on 19 October 2026, marks a major step in the country’s high-performance computing and artificial intelligence capabilities. With a measured performance of 85.69 petaflops, a 31st-place ranking in the global TOP500 list and a central role in the PHAROS AI Factory, the €58.9 million project aims to strengthen scientific research, support innovation and expand the development of advanced AI applications.
Here are 14 questions and answers explaining how Daedalus works, who can use it, what it can achieve and how Greece developed the infrastructure.
1. What is Daedalus, and why is it important for Greece?
Daedalus is Greece’s new national supercomputer and the most powerful computing system the country has ever acquired. It is a High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure capable of processing enormous volumes of data and performing highly complex calculations at exceptional speed.
Daedalus gives Greece new capabilities in scientific research, artificial intelligence and advanced technological applications, strengthening the country’s position in the European and international supercomputing ecosystem.
2. How powerful is Daedalus, and where does it rank internationally?
Daedalus has a measured computing performance of 85.69 petaflops, meaning it can perform approximately 85.69 quadrillion calculations per second.
It ranks 31st in the global TOP500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers and 23rd in the Green500 ranking, which assesses energy efficiency.
With Daedalus, Greece joins the 14 countries worldwide with such a strong presence in the supercomputing rankings.
3. When will the first users be able to access Daedalus?
Users will gain access gradually during December, following the completion of the system’s configuration. The National Infrastructures for Research and Technology (GRNET) will announce the relevant calls, terms and access instructions.
The aim is to ensure that the infrastructure begins operating in an organised and technically secure manner.
4. Who will be able to use Daedalus, and how will access work?
Daedalus will serve the Greek and European scientific and academic communities, universities, research centres, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, industry and public-sector organisations.
Access will follow specific procedures and calls issued by GRNET, the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and the PHAROS AI Factory, depending on the project.
Applicants will submit project proposals for evaluation based on scientific or technological merit, computing requirements and resource availability.
The authorities will announce the exact eligibility requirements and deadlines when operational services begin.
5. What can Daedalus do in practice? Are there specific examples?
Daedalus can support a wide range of applications, from healthcare and biomedical research to climate science, energy, transport, industry and cybersecurity.
Examples include:
- Healthcare: Research teams can train artificial intelligence models using appropriately anonymised data to support early disease detection and develop personalised medicine tools.
- Civil protection: Researchers can run complex climate models to improve understanding of extreme weather events and help predict wildfire risks.
- Business: Greek companies can simulate new products and manufacturing processes, reducing testing time and improving designs before production.
Daedalus will also support generative AI applications and large language models, including potential uses in the Greek language, education and culture.
6. Will Daedalus be used exclusively for artificial intelligence?
No. Daedalus is a general-purpose supercomputer designed for scientific and technological tasks that require enormous computing power.
Artificial intelligence is one of its main applications, but the system can also support computational physics and chemistry, biology, meteorology, climate research, energy, industry and many other fields.
7. How does Daedalus differ from a conventional computer or cloud service?
Daedalus is designed to solve problems on an exceptionally large computational scale by using many processing resources simultaneously.
In practical terms, it can complete demanding tasks much faster than conventional systems, including calculations that would otherwise take considerably longer or prove difficult to perform efficiently.
8. What is the relationship between Daedalus and the PHAROS AI Factory?
Daedalus provides the computing core of Greece’s PHAROS AI Factory, one of the first AI factories in the European network.
While Daedalus supplies the computing power, PHAROS combines it with data, expertise, tools, training and specialist support. This enables researchers, universities, businesses and public-sector organisations to develop artificial intelligence applications.
The initiative prioritises three areas: healthcare, language and culture, and sustainability.
It also aims to strengthen Greece’s technological autonomy by creating the conditions for domestic AI models and applications.
9. What technology does Daedalus use?
The system is based on Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) advanced architecture and uses NVIDIA GH200 accelerators, designed for demanding computing tasks and artificial intelligence applications.
It also employs direct liquid cooling technology, which removes heat efficiently from computing components and reduces the energy needed for cooling.
10. Where is Daedalus located, and what infrastructure supports it?
Daedalus is installed in GRNET’s new data centre, housed in the historic former Electric Power Station building at the Lavrio Technological and Cultural Park.
The approximately 1,500-square-metre building, recognised as an industrial heritage site, has been transformed into a modern high-tech facility.
The data centre has an installed capacity of 6.3 MVA, meets the availability and reliability requirements of the international Uptime Institute, and operates under GRNET’s security policies.
11. How does Daedalus achieve energy efficiency?
Energy efficiency was a key priority in Daedalus’s design. The system ranks 23rd in the global Green500 list.
It uses advanced direct liquid cooling technology, combined with local climatic conditions and free cooling for most of the year, to reduce the energy needed to cool the system.
A 2 MWp photovoltaic park also operates at the Lavrio Technological and Cultural Park for self-consumption, helping meet the facility’s energy needs.
12. Will the public be able to visit Daedalus?
The site has been designed to accommodate visitors, subject to the necessary security requirements.
Because Daedalus is a high-specification computing facility, access to its equipment remains restricted and controlled.
The authorities will provide information about organised visits after work on the surrounding area is complete.
13. Who manages Daedalus?
The National Infrastructures for Research and Technology (GRNET), an organisation under Greece’s Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, operates and manages Daedalus within the European EuroHPC ecosystem.
Specialist staff support its operation and continuously monitor the system to maintain security, availability and efficient use of the infrastructure.
14. How much did the project cost, and how was it funded?
The project has a total budget of €58.9 million, including VAT, and GRNET implemented it in two stages.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise supplied and installed the computing equipment, storage systems and software, and provided training services. The contract had a budget of €41 million, including VAT.
MainSys S.A. handled the electrical and mechanical infrastructure and the construction of the data centre in Lavrio, with a budget of €17.9 million, including VAT.
The project received funding through Greece’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Greece 2.0, using European Union resources from NextGenerationEU and support from the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking.
(Source: AMNA)
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