Strategic Supercomputing Alliance Drives New Era in Galactic Research
A multinational research effort harnesses advanced supercomputing and emerging science hubs to accelerate breakthroughs in galaxy-scale cosmological modelling
A growing collaboration between German research institutes and leading Chinese laboratories is redefining the technological backbone of galaxy-scale simulations.
At the center of this effort is a long‑running partnership focused on running vast cosmological models on China’s most powerful non‑military supercomputing systems, enabling simulations that track more than 4 trillion particles and provide unprecedented insights into the formation of the Milky Way and its neighbors.
Simon White, the British‑German astrophysicist and 2017 Shaw Laureate in Astronomy, told TechJournal.uk on the sidelines of the 2025 Hong Kong Laureate Forum (HKLF) that collaboration has become essential to advancing next‑generation galactic modeling.
“Recently, I’ve been trying to understand in more detail how our own galaxy formed together with its neighboring galaxy, the Andromeda Nebula,” said White.
“In particular, I’d like to know in detail how they formed, to see whether we can find traces of their formation in the patterns in the stars in the two galaxies,” he said. “I’m doing that by trying to make many computer simulations, all of which match the large-scale structure of the Milky Way, Andromeda Nebula, and their surroundings.”
The collaboration with his Beijing colleague Gao Liang — an astronomer at the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) whose research focuses on dark‑matter distribution in galaxy clusters — has made this work possible on an unprecedented scale.
White said the ability to compare so many developmental scenarios gives researchers sharper tools to evaluate how galaxies assemble and evolve over billions of years.
He added that the latest run, executed on China’s top supercomputing facility, was supported by NAOC’s high‑performance computing ecosystem.
According to a 2013 paper co-authored by White and Gao, most of the simulations within their Phoenix Project were executed on the Lenovo DeepComp 7000 supercomputer at the Supercomputing Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing.
The work formed part of the broader Pangu Project, led by the Computational Cosmology Consortium of China (C4), a collaboration of early‑career astronomers from the Purple Mountain Observatory, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, NAOC, and the Supercomputing Center at CAS.
In 2017, Gao’s team reportedly advanced this work further by using the Sunway TaihuLight—then the world’s most powerful supercomputer—to simulate the birth and early expansion of the Universe with 10 trillion digital particles.
China’s Expanding Scientific Ecosystem
White described China’s rise in astronomy as “very dramatic,” noting that the country has created “a huge expansion with many new positions” across its research institutions.
He said these developments have strengthened China’s ability to contribute to global astronomy, particularly as more early‑career researchers gain international experience.
“Many of the people employed do have experience outside China,” he said, adding that this marks a significant shift from earlier decades when Chinese astronomers were “very isolated.”
However, he stressed that it will take time to determine how effectively these newly built teams will develop.
“You can’t tell…until 10 years later, when you see how well they’re producing things,” he said.
White also offered candid observations about the younger generation of Chinese scientists.
“There are lots of enthusiastic and very smart young scientists in China,” he said, citing their strong technical training and determination. But he added that creativity—particularly the ability to identify new research questions—remains an area for growth.
He said younger researchers in China are often “taught to solve problems,” whereas advancing the frontier of science requires the capacity to frame new ones.
He emphasized that China’s expanding facilities, from large observatories to advanced computational centers, now serve as platforms for multidisciplinary collaboration. As physics, data science, and high‑performance computing converge, he said, these laboratories are becoming natural partners for global institutions such as the Max Planck Society, a government-funded institution in Germany.
Expanding Computational Frontiers
White said the escalating scale of simulations reflects a broader transformation in astrophysics, explaining that researchers now rely on computing power as much as traditional observational tools; the largest global supercomputers have increasingly become essential for modeling galaxy formation.
He said supercomputing centers actively welcome such projects because they need researchers who can fully utilize their most advanced machines.
“They always want the next biggest computer, and what they need is people who can make full use of their computers and have a case for building an even bigger one,” he said, noting that this mutual benefit has helped astrophysics maintain privileged access to high‑performance systems worldwide.
White also highlighted how the visual output of these simulations strengthens the case for continued investment.
He said that when researchers present their results to government funders, “they always like pictures of galaxies forming,” which makes the work both scientifically compelling and politically persuasive.
Advances in computing have also changed the scientific questions researchers can explore.
“As the computers have got bigger, so the simulations we’ve done have also become larger and more detailed,” he said, allowing teams to model gravitational forces, galaxy mergers, and large‑scale cosmic evolution with increasing precision.
Looking ahead, White said future facilities under development in China and Europe will likely become central pillars of next‑generation astrophysics, as scientists push toward exascale computing capabilities.
White emphasized that modern astronomy depends on resource sharing and international alignment. and international alignment. With flagship projects costing billions of dollars and spanning decades, he said no single nation can independently support the entire research pipeline.
He cited the European Southern Observatory (ESO) as an example of how coordinated investment has enabled Europe to advance key telescope infrastructure while the United States faces challenges linked to fragmented funding.
He also highlighted the role of long‑term trust in sustaining scientific partnerships, as large‑scale space missions such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) require consistent multi‑country commitment to maintain their timelines and scientific objectives. Uncertain political environments, especially in major scientific economies, can complicate planning and reduce confidence among partner institutions.
White said global collaboration is increasingly mirrored at the computational level. Cross‑border data sharing, cloud‑based research platforms, and distributed compute environments allow teams to run complex experiments regardless of geographic constraints.
He noted that the Max Planck Society’s stable funding model positions it as an anchor institution for such partnerships.
An Unexpected Path
Reflecting on his early academic journey, White admitted that his entry into astronomy happened “by accident.”
He said he originally pursued mathematics because he “was the best at mathematics at school,” but arriving at Cambridge changed his trajectory.
“Suddenly, I wasn’t the best mathematician any longer,” he said.
White recalled that when deciding between applied mathematics and astronomy for his graduate work, the environments themselves left an unexpected impression.
He said the applied‑mathematics workspace was “in the basement…with heating pipes in the ceiling,” while the astronomical institute had “a modern building outside with trees around it and horses across the road.”
He said this unplanned transition ultimately opened the door to decades of research in galaxy formation and dark‑matter theory, an outcome he described as “the way it happens” for many scientists.
White later served as director of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics until his retirement in 2019, a role that helped shape Europe’s leadership in computational cosmology. White’s work has since influenced multiple generations of astronomers, supporting the development of cosmological models that are now fundamental to the field.
Today, he continues to collaborate with global partners, particularly in China, where shared computational facilities and cross‑institutional teams remain central to advancing cosmological discovery.