A 'supercomputer of the future' which Italy has been chosen to host will be called Leonardo after the Renaissance genius, the 500th anniversary of whose death is being marked this year, the education and research ministry said Monday. It has been chosen by the European Committee on High-Performance Calculus (EuroHPC), Minister Marco Bussetti said.

The supercomputer will be able to carry out an extraordinary number of operations per second, he said. The location of the new supercomputer will be in Bologna."The assignation is a cause for pride on the part of our country," said Bussetti. "It's a strategic initiative and will be an engine for growth and innovation".