Trends in HPC

Marc Asselin
3 min readFeb 11, 2023

High Performance Computing (HPC) is a crucial technology in the modern world, providing the necessary computational power to address some of the world’s most complex and pressing scientific, technological, and engineering problems. In recent years, the HPC industry has seen tremendous growth and development, driven by the increasing demand for high-end computing systems and the need for improved performance and efficiency. This article will discuss the current trends within the HPC industry, focusing on the latest technological advancements, market developments, and future projections.

First, it is important to understand what HPC is and why it is critical for today’s society. HPC refers to the use of supercomputers, computer clusters, and other high-end computing systems to perform complex and large-scale simulations, data analysis, and other computationally intensive tasks. This technology is used in a wide range of applications, including scientific research, weather forecasting, energy exploration, drug discovery, and many others. HPC is critical for solving complex problems that require large amounts of computational power, as well as for enabling innovation and driving economic growth.

One of the most significant trends in the HPC industry is the growth of cloud computing. With the advent of cloud computing, HPC systems are now available to a wider range of users, who can access high-end computing systems over the internet and pay only for the computing power they use. This has significantly reduced the costs of HPC systems, making them more accessible to smaller organizations, academic institutions, and individual users. Furthermore, cloud computing has also made it possible to run HPC applications on a larger scale, increasing the overall capacity of the HPC systems available.

Another trend in the HPC industry is the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. The integration of AI and ML technologies with HPC systems has enabled organizations to process and analyze massive amounts of data in real-time, providing insights that were previously impossible to obtain. For example, organizations can now use HPC systems to analyze data from sensors, such as weather sensors or medical devices, to gain a better understanding of their environment or patient health. Additionally, AI and ML technologies are increasingly being used to optimize HPC systems, improving their performance and energy efficiency.

In recent years, the HPC industry has also seen significant advancements in the use of accelerators, such as GPUs, FPGAs, and other specialized processors. Accelerators are designed to perform specific tasks more efficiently than traditional CPUs, and their integration with HPC systems has enabled organizations to achieve much higher levels of performance. For example, GPUs have become an essential component of HPC systems, enabling organizations to perform complex simulations and data analysis faster and more efficiently than ever before. Furthermore, the use of FPGAs in HPC systems has enabled organizations to achieve higher levels of performance and energy efficiency, while also reducing the costs associated with HPC systems.

Another trend in the HPC industry is the increasing use of edge computing. Edge computing refers to the use of distributed computing systems located at the edge of the network, closer to the data sources and users. This enables organizations to process and analyze data in real-time, without the need to send large amounts of data to central data centers. This is particularly important for applications such as autonomous vehicles, where real-time data processing is critical for safety and performance. The use of edge computing in HPC systems is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, as more organizations adopt this technology to process and analyze data faster and more efficiently.

Finally, the HPC industry is also seeing significant advancements in the use of quantum computing technologies. Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize the way organizations perform complex computations, enabling them to solve problems much faster.

To be sure, there are many interesting trends in high performance computing. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I’m still holding out for my Jarvis Holographic interface….;)

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Marc Asselin

Tech futurist and enthusiast focused on leveraging tech for good. Over 30 + years in software dev, architecture, and mgmt. I love to read and write spy novels.