DEUTSCHES KLIMARECHENZENTRUM GMBH

Their core work

DKRZ (German Climate Computing Centre) operates high-performance computing infrastructure dedicated to climate and Earth system research. They host and manage massive climate simulation datasets, run supercomputers for weather and climate modelling, and provide data management services to the European research community. Their work underpins how Europe stores, shares, and computes climate model data — from running exascale simulations to building the data repositories that make climate science reproducible and FAIR-compliant.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015-2018, DKRZ focused on foundational HPC-cloud convergence (BigStorage), pan-European data infrastructure building (EUDAT2020), and environmental research networking (ENVRI PLUS), while launching its flagship weather simulation coordination role with ESiWACE. From 2019 onward, the centre pivoted heavily toward EOSC ecosystem participation — appearing in five EOSC-related projects — and doubled down on Earth system modelling infrastructure (IS-ENES3, ESiWACE2, NextGEMS). The most recent projects show a clear move toward machine learning applications (CLINT) and next-generation climate models, suggesting DKRZ is evolving from pure infrastructure provision toward AI-augmented climate computing.

DKRZ is moving from being a computing facility toward becoming a full-stack climate data intelligence provider, integrating EOSC cloud services with machine learning capabilities on top of their traditional HPC strengths.

How they like to work

DKRZ primarily operates as a specialist partner, joining large consortia (316 unique partners across 45 countries) rather than leading them — they coordinated only 2 of 19 projects, both in their core domain of weather/climate simulation (ESiWACE series). Their network is remarkably broad, suggesting they are a trusted infrastructure node that many different communities rely on. Working with DKRZ means gaining access to a well-connected hub in European climate and data infrastructure circles, though they are unlikely to lead your consortium unless HPC-for-climate is the central topic.

With 316 unique consortium partners across 45 countries, DKRZ has one of the broadest collaboration networks in European climate computing. Their reach spans well beyond the EU, covering virtually every active research nation, with particularly dense connections in the EOSC and Earth system modelling communities.

What sets them apart

DKRZ occupies a rare niche: it is one of the very few dedicated climate computing centres in Europe, combining supercomputer operations with long-term climate data stewardship. Unlike university HPC centres that serve many disciplines, DKRZ's entire infrastructure is purpose-built for weather and climate science, making them the natural home for Europe's climate model data. Their simultaneous deep involvement in both the EOSC ecosystem and the climate modelling community means they can bridge the gap between generic research infrastructure policy and domain-specific scientific needs — a valuable position for any consortium that needs computing muscle with climate expertise.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ESiWACE2
  Their largest project (EUR 1.42M as coordinator), leading European efforts to prepare weather and climate simulation codes for exascale supercomputers.
• IS-ENES3
  Largest funding as participant (EUR 972K), central to maintaining Europe's Earth system modelling infrastructure including the key WCRP model data repository.
• CLINT
  Signals a strategic pivot — DKRZ's first machine learning project, applying AI to detect and attribute climate extreme events.