Status of supercomputing in Europe

There are now over thirty supercomputers being used in scientific research in Europe. The authors discuss the reasons why sites need this computing power and the major application areas in which supercomputers are used. In each area they consider both the difficulties and advantages of using supercomputers. Included in the talk are summaries of arguments used in supercomputer procurement and in the selection of supercomputer. They also discuss a recent initiative to set up a European Centre for Supercomputing and indicate why they believe there is a healthy future for supercomputing in Europe