What is the Snellius Supercomputer?
Snellius is the national supercomputer of the Netherlands, managed by SURF. It has been operational since 2021 in Amsterdam and was named after mathematician Willebrord Snellius.
It is designed for the most demanding scientific and technological challenges—from climate models and molecular simulations to artificial intelligence and language models.
Key features
- Performance: peak capacity of >14 petaflops
- Modular architecture: suitable for HPC, AI, and big data workloads
- Energy efficiency: sustainable cooling and green electricity
- Flexibility: supports multiple programming languages and environments
Who can use Snellius?
Access is available to organizations in the Netherlands working on data-driven or compute-intensive projects, including:
- Universities and applied sciences institutes
- Research institutes such as TNO, RIVM, KNMI
- Medical centers and hospitals
- Startups, scale-ups, and SMEs with innovative applications
- AI developers and deep tech companies
- Collaborative projects within Horizon Europe or EuroHPC
What can you do with Snellius?
Examples of real-world applications:
- Climate simulations – used by KNMI and universities to study extreme weather and sea level rise.
- Drug development – simulating molecular interactions for faster discovery of medicines.
- AI and Machine Learning – training large neural networks for NLP, image recognition, and predictive analytics.
- Physics and materials research – from nanotechnology to airflow simulations.
How to get access
Access is arranged through SURF, supported by EuroCC Netherlands. We help you with:
- Intake and project assessment
- Applying for compute time via SURF Research Access or EuroHPC programs
- Implementation support (software, tools, best practices)
- Training on how to use Snellius efficiently
For researchers, access is often free through NWO funding. Companies can apply for pilots, test projects, or subsidized programs.
Technical specifications
- Operational since: 2021
- Location: Amsterdam (SURF)
- Peak performance: >14 petaflops
- Architecture: CPU and GPU nodes
- Supported tools: Python, C/C++, R, OpenMP, MPI, TensorFlow, etc.
Why Snellius?
- National resource built for Dutch research and innovation
- Speed: up to 100x faster than regular servers
- Sustainability: powered by green energy
- Expert support via EuroCC and SURF
- Collaboration with a large research and innovation community
Ready to get started? Contact us to explore how Snellius can support your project.
