Worldwide LHC Computing Grid Celebrates 20 Years of Global Scientific Collaboration

The Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG) celebrated its 20th anniversary on December 8, 2025, at CERN, recognizing its role as a major distributed computing collaboration. The event highlighted WLCG's evolution from concept to reality, significantly impacting scientific research.

The Academia Sinica Grid Centre in Taipei became the first WLCG Tier 1 center, fostering knowledge sharing and expertise in distributed computing across Asia and Europe. The WLCG infrastructure supports vast LHC data management and extends to various fields including astronomy and gravitational-wave research.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it adapted resources to assist in protein-folding studies. The collaboration has laid the groundwork for future advancements with technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, essential for addressing the data challenges of the High-Luminosity LHC era.