Driving Innovation and Capacity Building: HPC/AI Workshop and Student Conference

The University of Donja Gorica hosted the highly anticipated HPC/AI Workshop and Student Conference on Saturday, December 21st. This event served as a key platform to highlight the outcomes of the HPC4S3ME IPA project and the AIFusion training program supported by the Innovation Fund of Montenegro. Both projects were developed within the framework of EuroCC2/EuroCC4SEE, with support from the NCC Montenegro team. The events showcased significant advancements in high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) in Montenegro.

Ms Zoja Scekic presenting HPC4S3ME project result
Mr Stevan Cakic presenting AIFustion training that was supported by the Innovation Fund of Montenegro

The workshop commenced with presentations on the results and achievements of the HPC4S3ME and AIFusion projects. Participants were also introduced to the activities and contributions of NCC Montenegro and the broader EuroCC2/EuroCC4SEE initiatives. These sessions underscored the critical role of collaboration and innovation in advancing HPC and AI capabilities.

Dr Luka Filipovic discussing the EuroCC2/EuroCC4SEE projects and HPC initiatives/opportunities

A highlight of the event was the student conference, which featured 19 project presentations by student teams, primarily from MSc and BSc programs. These projects demonstrated the creativity, technical acumen, and forward-thinking approaches of the next generation of researchers and innovators. The diversity of ideas presented reflected the growing interest and expertise in leveraging HPC and AI for real-world applications. The project discussed HPC and AI applications in digital transformation of education, medicine, fashion, mathematcis, and tourism.

A variety of interesting project implemented by student teams were presented
This was a great opportunity to exchange experiences and lessons learned
Computer vision and robotics applications
The presentation covered applications of HPC/AI in all domains in S3 Montenegro

The day concluded with a dynamic panel discussion focusing on the potential of HPC and AI, emphasizing the importance of training, skills development, and success stories from academia and industry. Experts and participants engaged in vibrant discussions, exchanging insights and exploring the future possibilities of these transformative technologies.

This event was a great way to conclude activities on the HPC4S3ME project

With over 50 attendees, the event fostered a collaborative and engaging atmosphere, encouraging knowledge sharing and networking. The conference provided participants with an inspiring experience, leaving them motivated to explore further advancements in HPC and AI.

Over 50 people attended the event

The event concluded on a high note with a cocktail reception, offering attendees the opportunity to network in an informal setting. This gathering reaffirmed the University of Donja Gorica’s commitment to fostering innovation and excellence in HPC and AI, further establishing its role as a regional leader in these critical domains. This was another successful cross-project collaboration.

The event finished with a coctail and networking in the club

The Book of abstracts can be accessed by clicking on the image below (link).

Click on image to open the Book of abstracts

HPC/AI Workshop and Student Conference

On Saturday, December 21st, the University of Donja Gorica will host an HPC/AI Workshop and Student Conference, where participants from the AIFusion and HPC4S3ME projects will present their results. This will be a great way of finalizing efforts in both projects!

HPC/AI Workshop and student conference are organized in context of HPC4S3ME and AI Fusion projects

The event will include:

  • Presentation of key results and achievements of both projects,
  • NCC Montenegro and EuroCC2/EuroCC4SEE presentation,
  • Presentation of student projects,
  • Panel discussion,
  • Coctail and networking.

Location: AP Amphitheatre, University of Donja Gorica
Time: 10:00am – 16:00pm

After the program, the socializing will continue with a cocktail.
Join us to celebrate the results and exchange ideas in the field of HPC and AI.

Workshop agenda

Two mobilities implemented at DunavNET (Serbia)

During November, two UDG researchers implemented a month long mobility at DunavNET as part of the TRACEWINDU MSCA H2020 project. Mr Ivan Jovovic and mr Dejan Babic, PhD students, engaged in productive discussions with DunavNET’s expert team members. The focus was on evaluating blockchain frameworks to identify the most suitable structure for ensuring transparent and secure wine traceability. They also analyzed data model requirements, highlighting the importance of data integrity and accessibility for tracking wine from production to consumption. During their stay, they went through a training on the utilisation of various AI tools and resource management on Azure platforms. An idea that will be pursued in their future research would be creation and use of chatbots for engagement of stakeholders. More on the TRACEWINDU project can be seen at the following link.

Two young researcher mobilities implemented through cross-pollination with TRACEWINDU project

Participation in IEEE CIEES2024 conference

The paper “Detection of Livestock Using Edge Devices” by E. Taruh, M. Raicevic, I. Jovovic, D. Babic, and T. Popovic, was presented at the 5th International Conference on Communications, Information, Electronic and Energy Systems, 2024 IEEE CIEES conference that takes place in Tarnovo, Bulgaria. The paper is result of research and experimenting in the agricultural domain throgh mentoring and cross-project collaboration.

Mr Elvis Taruh, MSc candidate, presenting the paper at the session on AI

ABSTRACT – This paper presents the development of a real-time system for detecting and monitoring large livestock using cameras connected to a Jetson Nano device and the YOLO v8 model for animal recognition (specifically cattle). The implementation of this system enables precise tracking of livestock movements and conditions, facilitating supervision and management on farms. The system provides real-time notifications and information crucial for efficient resource management. Model evaluation showed an accuracy of 65% after 35 epochs of training. The developed platform demonstrates potential for improving efficiency and safety in agricultural enterprises with possibilities for further enhancement and scaling.

Click on image to go to CIEES website

Lecture by prof Kezunovic from Texas A&M on AI/HPC supported risk management in energy sector

As planned, the invited lecture “Risk Management of Future Large-Scale Electrification” by prof. Mladen Kezunovic took place on 25 October 2024 in Enterpreneurial nest at UDG. Threre was over 60 attendees including students, academics from Montenegrin universities and representatives from the industry. This workshop was organized in the context of HPC4S3ME project and supported by EUROCC NCC Montenegro team.

What are the risks? Methodology for risk management and mitigation? What data do we have and how do we manage all that data? How can AI/ML supported by HPC help?

Dr. Mladen Kezunovic is a University Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M with over 35 years of expertise in power engineering. Renowned globally, Dr. Kezunovic has authored over 600 papers and consulted for 50+ companies worldwide. His extensive research and industry contributions, notably in fault modeling, data analytics, and smart grids, have earned him IEEE Life Fellow status and recognition from the US National Academy of Engineering. 

The workshop took place on 25 october at UDG
prof. Kezunovic from Texas A&M gave presentation on a nove approach to Risk managemement in energy sector
Over 60 people attended
How AI/ML supported by HPC can help mitigate risk in energy sector?
Several students from Faculty for information systems and Faculty for applied sciences attended

Master thesis: AI/ML and applications in medicine

Mr. Luka Jeremic defended his MSc thesis on 23 October 2024. The title of the thesis was AI and applications in medicine. His research was mentored by HPC4S3ME team members and it was done in the context of AI master program at the Faculty for information systems and technologie at UDG. This program and Master students are supporter by EUROCC NCC Montenegro.

ABSTRACT – This research explores the application of artificial intelligence in medicine, with a focus on the classification of brain, liver, and blood cell diseases. The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of algorithms in recognizing and classifying diseases of these organs. Through the development of a prototype information system, the study analyzes how artificial intelligence can improve diagnostics and contribute to the advancement of personalized medicine. The methodology includes a literature review, the development of computer vision models, and the assessment of model accuracy using real medical data. The results show that models based on deep neural networks can enhance the accuracy and speed of diagnostics, allowing for more precise disease classification. The paper also highlights the barriers and challenges in implementing these technologies,
including the need for ethical considerations and training of medical staff. The conclusions suggest that this approach has the potential to significantly improve medicine, but further research and refinement are necessary.

Mr Jeremic defended his master thesis on AI/ML and applications in medicine

In-house HPC lab infrastructure update

As planned, our project AI-AGE is advancing high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure to support AI-driven research on biomarkers of aging in medical applications. This initiative will empower our team with cutting-edge resources, allowing us to enhance our capacity for data analysis and predictive modeling. To meet the demands of sophisticated AI computations, with the support of AI-AGE, we are upgrading our existing HPC setup with a powerful computing node.

New computing infrastructure supported by the AI-AGE project as planned

This new addition includes a rack computing node equipped with a 48 CPU cores with 128GB RAM, NVIDIA L40 48GB GPUs, and 2x480GB internal SSDs. In addition, the project supported NAS storage of 24TB (multiple disks with RAID) dedicated for dataset management. This infrastructure enhancement is designed to integrate smoothly with our existing equipment, augmenting both our computational and storage capabilities while providing significant value for our investment.

System harware installed, configured, and validated

AI-AGE project, supported by the Ministry of education, science and innovation, is implemendet through collaboration between Faculty for information systems and technologies at Uiversity of Donja Gorica, and Faculty of medicine at University of Montenegro. The in-house HPC infrastructure is a result of cross-project collaboration with HPC4S3ME project (IPA programme) and both of these project are done with the support from EUROCC NCC Montenegro. The main goal for the in-house lab is for researchers to gain a hands on experience with physical equipment a their disposal, while for larger computing tasks, we will apply for computing time on some of the EU supercomputers.

Click on image to open AI-AGE project website

BSc thesis: Hotel chatbot receptionist for smart hospitality

Ms. Sara Kovacevic defended her BSc thesis on the use of AI tools to create a hotel chat bot receptionis for smart hospiality. This research was doen in the context of HPC4S3ME with the support from NCC Montengro an HPC4S3ME. The results were pulished at the IEEE IT2024 conference. The future work will include experimenting with HPC to run different AI tools and models. Her fefence took place on 3 October 2024.

ABSTRACT – The aim of this thesis is to examine the advancements and applications of chatbots in hotels to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency in Montenegro, which aspires to become a prestigious tourist destination. Emphasis is placed on the use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and high-performance computing (HPC) to develop advanced digital solutions. The automation of guest communication through chatbots reduces the burden on staff and increases customer satisfaction, especially during the tourist season when there are significant fluctuations in the number of visitors. The research analyzes key aspects of implementing chatbot technology, including the challenges and benefits of using the Voiceflow platform for development and testing. It studies data on guest preferences and service personalization, contributing to a better understanding of user needs and tailoring hotel offerings to meet their expectations. The thesis advises further optimization of chatbot functionalities, staff training, and regular collection of guest feedback. These recommendations enable Montenegrin hotels to improve their offerings and stand out in the global market competition. This work represents an important contribution to the advancement of digital solutions in Montenegro and can serve as a starting point for future research.

Ms. Sara Kovacevic defended her BSc thesis on AI powered hotel chatbot receptionist

BSc thesis: AI models for real estate pricing based on web scraped data

Mr Marko Lasice defended his BSc thesis on AI powered real estate pricing. The future work will include larger datasets and explorig the use of HPC and AI to train more precise price estimation models. The work was supported by the NCC Montenegro and HPC4S3ME team members.

ABSTRACT – The development of generative models and exponential progress in artificial intelligence have opened up new application possibilities in many areas of economic life. One of the possibilities is developing an AI model for predicting market prices based on data extracted from the web. This paper introduces the reader to the technique of automated downloading and grouping of data from the web, known as web scraping, and the development of a predictive model that, based on the collected data, would predict real estate prices. The paper presents the practical part of the work, the implementation of a predictive model developed using the decision tree technique. In conclusion, the work contributes to the understanding of how the combination of these techniques improves decision-making processes in the real estate market.

Mr Marko Lasice defended his BSc thesis on AI powered real estate pricing

BSc thesis: AI and machine learning for cultural heritage preservation

Ms. Jovana Mitric defended her BSc thesis at the Faculty for information sciences and technologies on 3 October, 2024. The topoc was on AI and machine learning for applications in cultural heritage preservation. This research was done in the context of HPC4S3ME project and was supported by the NCC Montenegro team. The future work will explore the use of HPC and expanded datasets to refine and train better models for monuments detection and providing support for Montenegrin tourism development. This work was also successfully presented at the IEEE IT2024 conference.

ABSTRACT – This thesis presents research on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and their potential application in the preservation of cultural heritage, with a special focus on Montenegro. Computer vision, as a specific field of artificial intelligence, was explored. The paper addresses the implementation of modern technologies, specifically computer vision, in the field of cultural tourism to enhance the visibility and preservation of cultural monuments. By using available tools such as the Roboflow platform for image annotation and Google Colaboratory for model training, a web application was developed using the Flask framework, which recognizes cultural monuments based on images, powered by the YOLO v8 model. Additionally, the thesis discusses the broader context of AI applications in the preservation of cultural heritage and its promotion for tourism purposes, with particular emphasis on the potential for technological enhancement of Montenegro’s tourism offerings. The importance of digital transformation in tourism for Montenegro and its positioning in the global tourism market is highlighted.

Ms Jovan Mitric defended her BSc thesis on AI and machine learning in ultural heritage preservation