Pace aims to advance the development of hardware and software technologies for applications related to supercomputing, but also with a wider application in other scientific disciplines. It has been established on the recommendation of the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) compiled for the European Commission in autumn 2006.
This made the case for the creation of a pan-European supercomputer infrastructure and called for a multimillion euro investment in its creation. Over the next two-and-a-half years Pace will make proposals on the design of the system.
The members of Pace are Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and UK. The initiative is backed by European Science Foundation.