Acquisition, Delivery, Installation and Hardware and Software Maintenance of Discoverer++ AI Supercomputer

The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has launched an open tender (EUROHPC/2026/OP/0005) for the acquisition, delivery, installation and hardware and software maintenance of the Discoverer++ AI supercomputer to be hosted at Sofia Tech Park. The procurement is split into three lots: LOT 1 GPU and CPU partitions with full flash storage estimated at €46,728,600, LOT 2 wafer-scale and specialized AI servers estimated at €6,000,000, and LOT 3 UPS infrastructure estimated at €1,500,000 for a total estimated value of €54,228,600. Tenders must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal by 12 June 2026 16:00 Europe/Luxembourg, with questions due by 04 June 2026, and the award will follow an open procedure using the best price-quality ratio. Eligible economic operators from EU Member States and associated countries must meet financial and technical capacity thresholds and satisfy mandatory technical requirements and benchmark evidence as specified in the tender documents.

Acquisition, Delivery, Installation and Hardware and Software Maintenance of Discoverer++ AI Supercomputer

Tender EUROHPC/2026/OP/0005 (TED ref 58/2026 200253-2026)

What it funds:a turnkey procurement to supply, deliver, install and maintain a high-end AI-ready EuroHPC supercomputer (Discoverer++) including GPU/CPU partitions, a wafer-scale AI accelerator partition, FPGA and cloud servers, an all‑flash storage system (with optional HDD capacity tier) and an N+1 UPS system. The procurement covers hardware, software, installation, commissioning, acceptance testing and 5-year maintenance and support.

Estimated total value:Estimated aggregate value €54,228,600 (broken down by lot in the table below) ¹

1. 1Who can apply: economic operators (sole bidders) or consortia with proven experience in acquiring, delivering, installing and maintaining supercomputers and associated infrastructure; subcontracting is allowed subject to rules in the tender documents.
2. 2Key deliverables: LOT 1 GPU & CPU partition and full-flash storage; LOT 2 wafer-scale AI accelerator, specialized AI, FPGA and cloud servers; LOT 3 additional UPS. Award by best price-quality ratio (quality weight significant).

Deadlines:publication TED 24/03/2026; deadline for receipt of tenders and electronic eSubmission closes 12/06/2026 16:00 Europe/Luxembourg; public opening 12/06/2026 16:30 Europe/Luxembourg. Contract maximum duration 72 months for framework elements and 60 months for core maintenance depending on lot. See tender specifications for full timelines ¹.

How to apply:Submit an electronic tender via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system (EU Login required). Tenders must follow the Invitation to Tender, Administrative and Technical Specifications and use provided templates (financial offer, technical response, benchmarks). Late or non‑electronic submissions will be rejected ¹.

Essential eligibility notes:bidders must demonstrate prior delivery/installation/maintenance experience of large-scale HPC/AI systems, provide financial and technical capacity evidence, and comply with supply‑chain, security and licensing requirements. The Next Generation European AI platform component requires ownership-control declarations for European technology suppliers (per tender documents).

Footnotes

1. 1Full procurement dossier, submission portal and all documents available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: F&T Portal.

This document synthesises the public tender notice and technical annexes published by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) for the acquisition, delivery, installation and hardware and software maintenance of the Discoverer++ AI-ready supercomputer (call/tender reference EUROHPC/2026/OP/0005; TED ref. 58/2026 200253-2026). The procurement is structured in three lots: LOT 1 (GPU & CPU partition and full flash storage), LOT 2 (wafer-scale AI accelerator system plus specialized servers including FPGA and cloud servers) and LOT 3 (UPS system).

Key procurement facts:Procedure type: Open procedure. Submission: exclusively electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal eSubmission system (EU Login and PIC mandatory). TED publication: 24/03/2026. Deadlines for receipt of tenders: 12/06/2026 16:00 (Europe/Luxembourg). Public opening: 12/06/2026 16:30 (Europe/Luxembourg). Contract maximum duration: 72 months framework; specific contracts and maintenance periods described per lot ¹.

Estimated values (procurement budget):Estimated total value for the entire tender: €54,228,600 (aggregate). Lot-level estimated values published: LOT 1 estimated value €46,728,600; LOT 2 estimated value €6,000,000; LOT 3 estimated value €1,500,000. Award method: best price-quality ratio.

Detailed opportunity classification and applicant guidance

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicants:any economic operator (natural or legal person) registered in the Participant Register (PIC) able to submit tenders in an open procedure. This includes: large enterprises, SMEs, system integrators, hardware OEMs, cloud providers, specialised HPC vendors, research institutes and universities acting as prime contractors or within consortia, and consortiums of the above. Subcontracting is allowed but identified subcontractors (those contributing >15% or relied-on capacities) must be declared and provide commitment letters. Joint tenders are allowed; a group leader must be appointed and all group members assume joint and several liability.

Funding Type

Primary financial mechanism:procurement contract (supply and service contract). This is not a grant: EuroHPC JU will purchase hardware, software, installation and maintenance services and will conclude one or more direct contracts with the successful tenderer(s).

Consortium Requirement

Procurement accepts single tenderers or consortiums (joint tenders). Where consortia bid, the joint tender must include an Agreement/Power of Attorney (model in Administrative Specifications Annex 3). Tenderers must indicate group composition, roles and financial shares (for VAT and liability) and appoint a group leader to sign the contract. Joint bidders are jointly and severally liable.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility)

Eligible beneficiaries:economic operators established in Member States of the European Union and legal persons falling within the scope of the EU Treaties. Participation is open to legal persons established in third countries only where a specific procurement access agreement applies. Tenderers must comply with the EU restrictive measures rules; entities subject to sanctions or high-risk supplier restrictions may be ineligible for participation or for specific components (see Supply Chain and Emerging EU Technology Platform rules).

Target Sector

The tender targets high-performance computing and AI infrastructure sectors:artificial intelligence (training and inference), HPC, GPU/accelerator hardware, wafer-scale accelerators, FPGA servers, storage systems (all‑flash and capacity tiers), cooling (direct liquid cooling), power/UPS, high-speed networking (Ethernet/InfiniBand), and associated services (system integration, installation, maintenance, support, training).

Mentioned Countries

Explicit countries and locations referenced:Bulgaria (Sofia Tech Park — hosting site), Luxembourg (EuroHPC JU seat / procedural times). Eligibility and delivery are Europe-focused (EU/Participating States). The tender accepts offers from entities established in the EU and in those third countries covered by applicable procurement access rules.

Project Stage (expected maturity)

Expected project maturity:deployment and operational stage requiring turnkey supply and integration. Tender requires factory integration, pre-shipment validation, on-site installation, acceptance testing, commissioning, and a multi-year maintenance/support period (minimum 3 to 5 years hardware/software coverage; maximum contract duration up to 72 months for framework).

Funding Amount

Published estimated values:total €54,228,600 (aggregate across three lots). Lot values: LOT 1 c. €46,728,600 (GPU & CPU partition and full flash storage), LOT 2 c. €6,000,000 (wafer-scale system and specialized partitions), LOT 3 c. €1,500,000 (UPS). Tenderers must submit a Financial Offer using Annex 6 (Financial Response spreadsheet).

Application Type

Method of application:open call for tenders (public procurement). Submission via eSubmission in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Tenderers must register in the Participant Register and use a valid PIC and EU Login account. Questions are handled through the Portal Q&A function; deadlines for Q&A are published (contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after defined cut-off).

Nature of Support

Nature of support:procurement of supplies and services — successful tenderers receive financial payments by the contracting authority in exchange for hardware, software, installation, acceptance and multi-year maintenance services (monetary contractual payments). No grant funding is provided to beneficiaries; this is a buy/supply contract.

Application Stages

Procedure stages (single-stage tender):1) electronic tender submission by deadline; 2) public opening (virtual); 3) evaluation (exclusion, selection, award criteria — technical and financial evaluation including benchmark, documentation checks); 4) notification of outcome and contract signature. Tenderers may be asked to provide additional documentary evidence (legal, financial, technical) during evaluation.

Success Rates

Published success rates are not provided. As an open high-value public procurement with specialised high-technology deliverables, the procurement is competitive and expects a limited number of specialised bidders (system OEMs, hyperscaler partners, consortiums). Historically, large EuroHPC procurements attract a small shortlist; success depends on meeting mandatory requirements, technical scoring (benchmarks), services and supply chain security.

Co-funding Requirement

Co-funding:not applicable in the grant sense. This procurement is fully funded through the contracting authority budget lines and Participating State contributions; tenderers do not need to bring co‑funding but must price the deliverables and accept the contractual payment schedule. For the Emerging EU Technology Platform (EP) specific rules apply: suppliers of European technology chips are subject to ownership control declarations.

Templates, forms and tender documents:Tender documents available on the F&T Portal include: Invitation-to-tender e-submission (Instruction), Administrative Specifications (Part 1), Technical Specifications (Part 2), Annex 6 Financial Response (Excel template), Annex 8 Technical Response Template (per lot), Annex 13C Benchmarks Submission Form (Excel benchmark evaluation), Draft Contract and model guarantees. Tenderers must use the provided Annex templates for financial and technical responses and the Annex 8 technical response template per lot.

1. 1Prepare and validate Participant Register / PIC and EU Login accounts well before the deadline.
2. 2Download all published documents (Invitation, Administrative Specifications, Technical Specifications, Annex 6 Financial response, Annex 8 technical response templates per Lot, Annex 13C Benchmarks Submission Form).
3. 3Complete Annex 8 technical response for the chosen lot(s) and Annex 6 financial response (spreadsheet).
4. 4Complete and include Declaration on Honour (Annex 2), Agreement/Power of Attorney if a consortium (Annex 3), list of subcontractors (Annex 4) and commitment letters (Annex 5.1 / 5.2) where applicable.
5. 5Submit electronically via eSubmission by 12/06/2026 16:00 (Europe/Luxembourg) and ensure public opening attendance or follow-up.

Mandatory technical and administrative templates:Annex 8 Technical Response Template (Lot-specific), Annex 6 Financial Response (price breakdown), Annex 13C Benchmarks Submission Form (performance pledges). Failure to use these templates or to submit mandatory documents will lead to rejection of the tender.

Technical, legal and supply-chain highlights (what evaluators will check)

The technical evaluation emphasises three main areas:(1) technical value of system design (partition architecture, compute racks, wafer-scale accelerator capabilities, memory and interconnect bandwidth, cooling and rack integration), (2) performance analysis based on benchmark submission (Annex13C) and (3) quality of services (installation, warranty, maintenance, training). Mandatory technical requirements must be satisfied to avoid rejection; many items are classified as Mandatory (M), Very High (VH) or High (H) targets with corresponding scoring.

1. 1Mandatory features: system topology, rack mechanical/thermal compatibility (max rack dimensions, floor loading), N+1 power topologies, validated factory integration, 5‑year HW/SW warranty and on‑site support, software/firmware updates included.
2. 2Benchmarking: vendors must complete the Annex13C benchmarks submission form and commit to measurable ML/IO benchmarks (MLPerf inference tasks, Elbencho storage tests, RDMA/GPUDirect results).
3. 3Supply-chain security: vendors must provide supply-chain mitigation plans and ownership control declarations for Next Generation European AI partition components; high-risk suppliers may be excluded for specific components (5G/communication equipment rules referenced).

Procurement award formula:best price-quality ratio. Tender evaluation weights published per lot (quality typically predominant: e.g., Lot 1 quality 70% + price 30%). Quality evaluation includes technical value, benchmark-derived performance and quality of services with minimum overall thresholds required for progression.

Benchmarks and performance submission:Tenderers must declare performance pledges in Annex13C and provide validated test evidence for the synthetic and application-based workloads. The benchmark spreadsheet is used to compute Award Criterion 2 (Performance Analysis). Benchmarks cover GPU inference (MLPerf cases), storage throughput (Elbencho), communications (bisection), and wafer-scale system tests. Benchmarks must be supported by test reports and logs; the evaluation normalises pledged performance against best offers received.

Procurement risks, practical requirements and compliance

Key commercial and compliance requirements:use the provided financial template (Annex 6) for pricing; submit the Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex 2); comply with VAT invoicing rules and contracting authority invoicing addresses; provide the required financial guarantees (pre-financing, performance guarantees) as specified in the Draft Contract. The contracting authority may ask for additional documentary evidence during evaluation (legal status, financial statements, technical references).

Procurement-specific constraints and special items:Notable constraints: site consumption cap (maximum Discoverer++ power consumption 2.1 MW), cooling capacity (hot water loop 32°C and optional 13°C door cooler), rack width and depth limits, factory integration requirements, minimum flash storage capacity (min 4 PB all-flash plus optional 8 PB HDD tier), and availability of spare parts for 10+ years. The tender also requires an Emerging EU Technology Platform partition (minimum ~4% of system nodes) to host European processor/accelerator technologies where ownership control declarations apply.

1. 1Site constraints: rack max €2.6 Mheight, raised floor bearing data, server room area and cooling headroom documented in Technical Specifications.
2. 2Power and cooling specifications: 2.1 MW maximum instantaneous system power; suppliers must provide full PUE and cooling integration details.
3. 3Maintenance and SLA: minimum 5-year warranty, preventive and corrective maintenance, 24x7 remote monitoring, defined SLAs and response times for critical incidents.

For official procurement documents and to submit via eSubmission, use the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and follow the eSubmission quick guides and system requirements. The contracting authority provides Q&A on the Portal; the contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after specified cut-off dates. The tenderer must respect file format and file-size rules of eSubmission.

How to prepare a compliant tender (practical checklist):Follow these steps: register PIC and EU Login early; download and study Administrative Specs (Part 1) and Technical Specs (Part 2); use provided templates (Annex 6, Annex 8, Annex 13C); prepare supporting evidence for legal/financial/technical selection criteria; demonstrate mandatory requirements and provide benchmark evidence; prepare installation/acceptance plan and maintenance offer; ensure compliance with supply-chain security and ownership control rules for EU technology partition; submit by eSubmission deadline.

1. 1Register organisation in Participant Register (PIC).
2. 2Prepare Annex 8 technical responses per lot and Annex 6 financial response.
3. 3Complete Annex 13C benchmarks with verifiable test data or representative measurements.
4. 4Provide Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) and any required commitment letters (Annex 5.1/5.2).
5. 5Ensure bank guarantees and pre-financing guarantee templates are in place (Annex IV/V of draft contract).

What this opportunity is about and explanation:This tender is a high-value EuroHPC procurement to acquire an AI-optimised, multi‑partition supercomputer (Discoverer++) to be hosted at Sofia Tech Park and owned by EuroHPC JU. It covers the supply of heterogeneous GPU and CPU partitions, a wafer-scale accelerator partition, specialized FPGA and cloud servers, an enterprise all-flash storage system with optional HDD capacity tier, UPS/power infrastructure and full system integration, factory acceptance, on-site installation, benchmark verification and multi-year maintenance and support. The contracting authority seeks turnkey offers that demonstrate top performance, energy and space efficiency, robust operations support and secure supply chains, with detailed technical evidence and benchmarked performance. The award will balance price and quality; mandatory technical requirements and benchmarks are decisive.

Full procurement documents, annexes and templates are available via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal call page for EUROHPC/2026/OP/0005 — use the Tender Details and Documents sections to download Annex 6, Annex 8 (technical templates by lot), Annex 13C (benchmarks) and the draft contract. The contracting authority recommends early engagement with the Portal and use of the official templates for compliant submission EU Funding & Tenders Portal. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documents include: Invitation-to-tender-e-submission-Disc++, Disc++ Administrative Specifications (Part 1), Disc++ TechnicalSpec (Part 2), Annex 6 Financial Response (excel), Annex 8 Technical Response Template per lot (docx), Annex13C Benchmarks Submission Form (excel), Disc++ Model Draft Contract (pdf). Download these from the F&T Portal tender page.

This is an open tender procedure (EUROHPC/2026/OP/0005) launched by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) to procure an AI-optimised supercomputer named Discoverer++ for the BRAIN++ AI Factory at Sofia Tech Park Supercomputing Centre in Bulgaria. The system will support large-scale AI workloads including model training, inference, simulations and data-intensive research, outperforming existing solutions in performance/TCO, programmability, versatility, stability, power efficiency and computing density. The supercomputer will be owned by EuroHPC JU and hosted by Sofia Tech Park, with a maximum power consumption of 2.1 MW and installation targeted by end of 2026.

Key Dates and Procedure Details

TED publication date:24/03/2026. Deadline for receipt of tenders: 12/06/2026 16:00 Europe/Luxembourg. Public opening: 12/06/2026 16:30 Europe/Luxembourg. Questions must be submitted by 04/06/2026 23:59 Europe/Luxembourg. Electronic submission via EU Login is mandatory. Procedure type: Open procedure. Award method: Best price-quality ratio. TED reference: 58/2026 200253-2026. CPV: 30211100 - Super computer.

Tender Lots and Estimated Values

Total estimated value:€54,228,600. One economic operator will be selected per lot. Tenders covering only part of a lot are not permitted. Nature of contract: Supplies.

Who Can Apply: Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Open to economic operators from EU Member States and associated countries. Must have proven experience acquiring, delivering, installing and maintaining supercomputers in similar environments. No high-risk suppliers (per EU 5G cybersecurity toolbox). Ownership control assessment applies to suppliers of European technology chips (CPUs, GPUs, accelerators) in Emerging EU Technology Platform (LOT 1). Exclusion for entities subject to EU restrictive measures or exclusion situations (bankruptcy, fraud, corruption, etc.).

Economic and Financial Capacity

• Average yearly turnover (last 2 years): LOT 1 >€15.5M; LOT 2 >€2M; LOT 3 >€0.5M (consolidated).
• Assets/liabilities ratio >0.5 (individual for group members/subcontractors >15%). Evidence: Profit/loss accounts, balance sheets.

Technical and Professional Capacity

• LOT 1/2: 3+ similar projects (AI infrastructure/supercomputers >0.5MW, DLC-cooled, dense racks) in last 3 years, min €10M each (prime contractor: 1 project).
• LOT 3: 3+ similar UPS projects (>=0.5MW datacentres) in last 3 years; 1+ EU operational support centre with 3+ clients, 6+ English-speaking staff.
• Evidence: Project lists (dates, value, scope, role); CVs, support centre letter.

Compliance with minimum requirements mandatory; variants not allowed. PIC registration required.

Funding Amounts, Rates and Payment

Total Budget:€54,228,600 (excluding VAT). Funded by EU Digital Europe Programme (up to 50% acquisition + 50% operating costs) and Participating States.

Payment Structure:Pre-financing (30%, with guarantee); interim payments per delivery/acceptance; maintenance yearly. Performance guarantee: 10%. Max duration: 72 months (60 months core).

Technical Requirements and Performance Targets

Detailed specs in Tender Specifications Part 2. Mandatory (M), Very High (VH), High (H) Target Capabilities. Must outperform existing systems in performance/TCO, programmability/usability, versatility, stability, power/energy efficiency, computing density. Max rack height: €2.6M; floor load: 2200kg/m2; power: 2.1MW; cooling: 320kW additional.

LOT 1 Highlights

• GPU/CPU partition: Category A (72+ GPUs ARM rack), Category B (640+ GPUs x86 nodes); 4PB all-flash storage; Emerging EU platform (4% nodes).
• Networks: Non-blocking 400Gb/s+ InfiniBand/Ethernet; benchmarks: MLPerf, Elbencho (>800GB/s read).
• Management: 4 servers (2 login, 2 management).

LOT 2 Highlights

• Wafer-scale AI (2+ chips, €900K+ cores/wafer, 125PFLOPS); Specialised AI (32+ accelerators); FPGA (32+ devices); Cloud (8 servers).

LOT 3 Highlights

• UPS: 1500kVA/kW N+1 topology (23x62.5kW + redundant); LiFePO4 batteries (10+ min backup at 1500kW); hot-swap modules.

Award Criteria (Best Price-Quality Ratio)

VH/H targets scored proportionally to best offer; mandatory requirements pass/fail. Benchmarks critical for LOT 1 (MLPerf, Elbencho).

Services, Maintenance and Support

• Installation: Factory integration, cabling, testing, on-site commissioning, training.
• Maintenance: 5 years (extendable); 24/7 support, on-site <=6h critical, preventive 2x/year, spares stock.
• SLA: Reaction times, availability, health checks; liquidated damages for breaches.
• Documentation: Technical specs, manuals, updates in English.
• Risk management, dismantling at end.

Submission and Documents

• 9 key documents: Invitation letter, Technical Specs (Parts 1/2), Admin Specs, Financial form, Draft contract, Technical templates (per LOT), Benchmarks form.
• Electronic submission via EU Login; PIC required.
• Q&A public; no lots variants.

Key Risks and Applicant Considerations

Technical Risks:Strict benchmarks (e.g., MLPerf tokens/s per GPU, Elbencho GB/s/node); DLC compatibility (32C inlet); supply chain security (no high-risk vendors); EU tech integration by 2028.

Financial/Contractual:High turnover thresholds; 10% performance guarantee; liquidated damages (0.1%/day delay, SLA breaches); IP transfer to EuroHPC JU.

Operational:72-month support; on-site EU presence; English documentation/training. Site constraints: 300m2 hall, 2.1MW power.

Apply via EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Review full docs for benchmarks, templates. Strong supercomputer track record essential. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Primary source: EU F&T Portal tender page and attached documents (Invitation, Specs Parts 1/2, Templates, Contract Draft). Dates/amounts per TED notice.