Welcome to CERN openlab

CERN openlab stands as a testament to over two decades of pioneering history and expertise. Established in 2001, it remains a ground-breaking public-private partnership, forging collaborations between leading ICT companies and research centres worldwide, uniting them with the forefront of scientific innovation at CERN. These partnerships fuel CERN researchers with invaluable opportunities and resources to push the boundaries of computing, essential for tackling the unprecedented challenges presented by monumental projects like the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) or the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

For more than twenty years, CERN openlab has been the bedrock of partnership, providing a structured and collaborative framework for industry and research organisations to engage with CERN researchers. Its framework not only fosters collaboration but also facilitates industry participation and investment.

Collaboration is the core of CERN openlab, where industry and scientific researchers co-develop innovative solutions. Together, we embark on four primary missions: establishing strategic industry collaborations, fuelling technological innovation, exposing technology to researchers, and nurturing knowledge and growth in young STEM researchers.

Now embarking on its eighth phase, with 23 years of transformative history, CERN openlab embraces a new era of multidisciplinary collaboration, with fresh insights and activities. As the world evolves and new challenges emerge, our dedication to accelerate scientific computing, propelling technologies beyond HEP, and fostering positive societal impacts on a global scale remains unwavering.

To address scientific challenges at the exascale level, CERN openlab has identified two main R&D directions: “Sustainable Infrastructures” and “Emerging Technologies”. In sustainable infrastructures, it collaborates on energy-efficient computing platforms, while in emerging technologies, it explores innovations like long-term digital storage materials, scientific digital twins, and quantum computing.