Memory, not processors, remains Europe's supercomputing weakness, Bull CEO says

By Leo Marchandon

Oct 2 (Reuters) - Europe is increasingly able to source the components used in its supercomputers locally, but memory remains the biggest gap in the supply chain, the head of French supercomputer maker Bull said on Friday.

Bull can now source around 70% of the components in the machines it builds in Europe - including boards, interconnects, cooling systems and increasingly processors - up from 20%-30% five years ago, leaving memory as the last major component without a European supplier, Chief Executive Emmanuel Le Roux said.

• He cited progress on European processors — SiPearl, in which Bull holds a stake, Vsora and Openchip.

• "The problem is memory," he told Reuters at the company's Angers factory. "We don't see anything coming."

• Processors account for 10-20% of a supercomputer's value, he said.

• Memory prices have risen sharply and are now one of the industry's biggest concerns, Le Roux said. European memory initiatives exist but would take a long time to build.

• Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron produce over 90% of memory worldwide.

• Memory chips hold the data a machine is actively working on; supercomputers need them in vast quantities.

(Reporting by Leo Marchandon; Editing by Matt Scuffham)