By the end of the year, 24 students from different universities, study programs and levels, including several doctoral students, using big data and other resources, will develop concepts and prototypes of solutions for challenges important to society and companies, such as an algorithm that real estate will help managers prepare for natural disasters.
Students - primarily from Riga Technical University (RTU), University of Latvia (UL) and Riga Stradiņš University (RSU) - will develop solutions to challenges defined by companies in the second season of the program «Creating innovative digital solutions in HPC challenges». This year, several doctoral students who are conducting research at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) have also accepted the HPC challenge.
In the second season, students are offered challenges by four companies. VAS «Valsts nekustamie īpašumi» invites you to develop a calculation methodology to assess the potential impact of natural disasters, such as storms, floods, heavy rains or extreme temperatures, on real estate and the necessary resources to prevent the consequences caused by natural disasters. Currently, prevention of consequences and resources are organized "after the fact" and there is a lack of uniform guidelines on how to prepare for natural disasters. On the other hand, the company "Cenos" in cooperation with students wants to develop and improve the neural network model with machine learning methods. The company uses this calculation model in the design of antennas and other radio frequency range equipment, next-generation drone communication systems, and radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. Meanwhile, the brand "draugiem.lv" of the technology company "Draugiem Group" will test the Latvian language model with students, while simultaneously looking for the use and connection of the HPC tool. To train the language model, students will use the "draugiem.lv" horoscope section, which has many content units. The production company "Bucher municipal" is proposing to develop a digital tool to perform welding works more quickly and to organize the work of welders, which currently the foremen plan manually.
"The HPC challenge program is part of an ambitious project that improves the digital skills of students and teaching staff at Latvian universities. Digital skills together with the use of HPC tools are the key to future innovations in any industry," says RTU professor Alla Anohina-Naumeca, content manager of the project "Learning high-level digital skills in Latvia in the field of high-performance computing technologies".
In the project "Learning of high-level digital skills in Latvia in the field of high-performance computing technologies" (No. 2.3.1.1.i.0/1/22/I/CFLA/003), RTU, RSU and UL develop and implement 12 study modules in high-performance computing technologies in the field. The project is financed by the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Mechanism investment. Its aim is to increase the number of specialists in Latvia with high-level digital skills (DigComp level 7-8) who are able to use technology to develop knowledge- and technology-intensive new products and services in various sectors, as well as to create synergy between higher education, science and industry.
Photo: Kārlis Gulbis, representative of VAS "Valsts nekustamie īpašumi" introduces the challenge to the students. | Linards Reinis Rozītis, RTU