[Paper] Unifying von-Neumann HPC and Neuromorphic Acceleration via the EBRAINS Research Infrastructure: A Framework for High-Performance Workflows

Source: arXiv - 2606.08515v1

Overview

Modern scientific workflows increasingly span diverse computing architectures, yet executing a single computational model across disparate systems often forces researchers to maintain fragmented, site-specific pipelines. In this paper, we address this challenge within the domain of computational neuroscience by presenting a unified, cloud-based workflow orchestrated via EBRAINS JupyterLab. This workflow enables users to transparently execute spiking neural networks on both von-Neumann supercomputers and neuromorphic hardware. Using a single federated identity, the system dispatches jobs to HPC sites (JUSUF, Galileo100) via PyUNICORE and to the SpiNNaker-1 neuromorphic system via the Neuromorphic Computing Platform Interface. To guarantee cross-site reproducibility and mitigate software version drift, we utilize a zero-installation execution mode that dynamically pulls PMIx-aware Apptainer containers to HPC compute nodes. Furthermore, we demonstrate genuine model-level portability using the NESTML domain-specific language, allowing custom neuron models to be written once and automatically compiled for either the NEST (C++) or sPyNNaker backends. Validated with a balanced random network case study, this work illustrates a practical, end-to-end path for hardware-agnostic workflows while highlighting the critical role of containerization and domain-specific languages in achieving true cross-platform reproducibility.

Key Contributions

This paper presents research in the following areas:

• cs.DC

Methodology

Please refer to the full paper for detailed methodology.

Practical Implications

This research contributes to the advancement of cs.DC.

Authors

• Krishna Kant Singh
• Charl Linssen
• Eric Müller
• Eleni Mathioulaki
• Wouter Klijn
• Lena Oden

Paper Information

• arXiv ID: 2606.08515v1
• Categories: cs.DC
• Published: June 7, 2026
• PDF: Download PDF