Exaion's origin: rescuing EDF's supercomputers from the scrap heap
Key points
Key takeaways from a tech 45' interview with Exaion CEO Fatih Balyeli on how the company he co-created was born (September 2026):
The spark. A colleague walked Balyeli into the data-centre warehouse of the EDF group and pointed at a row of supercomputers that were about to be scrapped — out of manufacturer warranty but still carrying intrinsic value.
What EDF's HPC runs. The French utility is one of the oldest and heaviest users of high-performance computing: its nuclear physics simulation codes run on these machines, alongside hydrology and weather models that forecast rainfall to plan reservoir levels.
Balancing supply and demand. Those forecasts feed into how much electricity EDF produces to match demand — a constant, automated balancing act that depends on the compute.
The founding insight. EDF had to renew its machines regardless, so the question became whether the outgoing supercomputers could be repurposed instead of scrapped — the seed from which Exaion grew.
Company context. Exaion was co-created in 2020 as an EDF subsidiary focused on data centres and digital sovereignty, and now operates under American ownership.
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