Over the past few years, the ChEESE-2P project has brought together leading researchers, simulation codes and high-performance computing (HPC) technologies to tackle some of society’s most pressing natural hazards. From improving earthquake and tsunami simulations to developing urgent computing workflows that support emergency response, the project has demonstrated how European supercomputing can help transform science into practical tools for civil protection. Its impact is being recognised on the international stage through some of the world’s most prestigious awards in supercomputing.
Among the most significant recognitions is the 2025 ACM Gordon Bell Prize, often described as the “Nobel Prize of Supercomputing”. The award recognised breakthrough research on a real-time digital twin for tsunami early warning, in which online Bayesian inversion and forecasting can be completed in about 0.2 seconds, representing a roughly ten-billion-fold speedup over direct computation. The work involved ChEESE researcher Alice-Agnes Gabriel and demonstrates how advances in extreme-scale computing can dramatically improve early warning systems for coastal communities exposed to earthquake and tsunami hazards.
The same research also received the 2025 HPC Innovation Excellence Award and the HPCwire Readers’ Choice Award for Best Use of HPC in Physical Sciences, highlighting its scientific excellence and real-world impact. At the same time, another team of ChEESE researchers at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) was honoured with the 2025 HPC Innovation Excellence Award for pioneering an urgent-computing workflow during Mexico’s National Earthquake Drill. Using the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer, researchers transformed real-time seismic data into rapid hazard forecasts, demonstrating how HPC can directly support emergency preparedness and decision-making.
The impact and visibility of this work have extended beyond the awards themselves. During her visit to BSC, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum learned about the research carried out by the team, while the centre continues to collaborate with Mexico on the development of Coatlicue, the country’s upcoming flagship supercomputer, expected to become the most powerful in Latin America.
The ChEESE community was also recognised through the GANANA Award, acknowledging the collective contribution of ChEESE researchers to strengthening scientific collaboration between Europe and India. Through GANANA, ChEESE and other European HPC Centres of Excellence work with leading Indian institutions to promote knowledge exchange, capacity building and the development of long-term cooperation in high-performance computing.
Although these awards recognise different scientific achievements, they share a common message: high-performance computing is becoming an essential component of disaster preparedness. Whether simulating earthquakes, tsunamis or delivering urgent information to emergency managers, the technologies developed by researchers within the ChEESE community are helping bridge the gap between frontier computational science and operational decision-making.
The international recognition received by ChEESE researchers reflects not only scientific excellence, but also the project’s broader mission: ensuring that European supercomputing delivers tangible benefits for society by strengthening resilience, supporting authorities and ultimately helping protect lives.
Award-winning research across the ChEESE community
⬤ 2025 ACM Gordon Bell Prize
Real-time tsunami forecasting
ChEESE Team Representative: Alice-Agnes Gabriel
Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3712285.3771787
⬤ 2025 HPC Innovation Excellence Award
Mexican National Earthquake Drill
ChEESE Team Representatives: Marisol Monterrubio, Aerton Guimarães, Varvara Vedia-García, Rosa M. Badia, Fernando Vazquez, Georgina Diez Ventura, Josep de la Puente
Technical report: https://cheese2.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Technical-Report-Mexican-Trial-ChEESE-2P-Impact.pdf
⬤ 2025 HPC Innovation Excellence Award
Tsunami Digital Twin
ChEESE Team Representative: Alice-Agnes Gabriel
Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3712285.3771787
⬤ 2025 HPCwire Readers’ Choice
Best Use of HPC in Physical Sciences
ChEESE Team Representative: Alice-Agnes Gabriel
Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3712285.3771787
⬤ GANANA Award
To all ChEESE partners/researchers
Published: 31/08/2026
Author: Aerton Guimarães – ChEESE-2P Dissemination Team
