Research & Development World

Sparking New Conversations, New Connections and New Ideas

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HPC is transforming our everyday lives, as well as our not-so-ordinary ones. From nanomaterials to jet aircrafts, from medical treatments to disaster preparedness, and even the way we wash our clothes; the HPC community has transformed the world in multifaceted ways.Next week, The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SC15) will return to Austin, TX, for the first time since 2008. Established in 1988, the annual SC conference continues to grow steadily in size and impact each year, and approximately 5,000 people are expected to participate in the technical program, with about 11,000 attendees overall.

Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the IEEE Computer Society, SC15 aims to “attract new and diverse groups of HPC professionals and students to the conference with the goal of sparking new conversations, new connections and new ideas.” The 27th annual conference will offer a complete technical education program and exhibition to showcase the many ways high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis lead to advances in scientific discovery, research, education and commerce.

This year’s theme is appropriately titled “HPC Transforms.” As the SC15 site explains: “HPC is transforming our everyday lives, as well as our not-so-ordinary ones. From nanomaterials to jet aircrafts, from medical treatments to disaster preparedness, and even the way we wash our clothes; the HPC community has transformed the world in multifaceted ways.”

This dynamic international conference includes a globally attended technical program, workshops, tutorials, a world class exhibit area, demonstrations and plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning. At SC15, the four main components will be a technical program, and exhibit hall, Students@SC and SCinet.

  • Technical Program: the heart of the conference, the technical program will provide multiple forums for sharing research, development and applications in high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis, including:

Note that Technical Program registration and badge are needed for attending most of these sessions, while tutorials and workshops require separate registrations.

  • Exhibits: The SC15 exhibit halls (Halls 1-5 and Ballrooms ABC) will be filled with booths featuring the latest technologies and discoveries from industrial and research organizations located around the world.
    To enter the Exhibits, you will need an Exhibitor, Technical Program or Exhibits Only registration.
  • Students@SC: The SC15 conference is broadening its mission to build a strong and diverse HPC student community, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, through professional development programs, opportunities to learn from mentors and engagement with SC’s technical sessions, including:

Also, within the SC15 Technical Program, the ACM Student Poster Competition and Doctoral Showcase tracks are oriented specifically toward students.

  • SCinet operates a commodity network for attendees and an experimental network that showcases the latest, most sophisticated technology currently available. The network will have more bandwidth into the conference than any other facility in the world, and more capacity than many cities and countries. SCinet supports the high-speed network connections linking the Convention Center to outside networks and provides wired and wireless connections for SC attendees and exhibitors.
    Volunteers from academia, government and industry work together to design and deliver the SCinet infrastructure. Industry vendors and carriers donate millions of dollars in equipment and services needed to build the local and wide area networks. Planning begins more than a year in advance of each SC conference and culminates in a high-intensity installation in the days leading up to the conference.

Of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to network in Austin, as well. Four major social events are scheduled by the SC15 Conference. (However, vendors are also known to hold additional events.)

  • The Exhibitor Reception, Sunday November 15, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. CT, will be held for registered exhibitors at Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater. The party will feature a popular local band, The Spazmatics, access to all the memorabilia from 40 years of recording the Austin City Limits program at the theater, and a showcase of local food and drinks throughout the facility. Transportation will be provided from the bus loading area of the convention center starting at 5:45 p.m.
    An Exhibitor badge and government-issued photo ID are required to attend this event.
  • The Opening Gala, Monday, November 16, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. CT will be held in Exhibit Halls A-E and Ballrooms ABC.  This will be attendees’ first opportunity to see the latest high performance computing, networking, storage, analysis and research products, services, and innovations.
    This event is open to all Technical Program, Exhibitors and Students@SC registrants.
  • The Poster Exhibit Reception, Tuesday, November 17, from 5:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT, will be held in the Lobby of Level 4 with complimentary refreshments and appetizers. With the opening of the posters, this will be a key time to interact with poster authors and socialize other topics.
  • The Technical Program Reception, Thursday, November 19, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. CT, is a conference reception for all Technical Program attendees and will be held at the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at UT Austin. Attendees will enjoy a warm welcome from the UT Spirit Team and Bevo, the school Mascot, a tour of the facility, food and drink, music and much more. Shuttle transportation to and from the event will run starting at 5:30 p.m. from the convention center.
    A Tech Program badge, event ticket, and government-issued photo ID are required to attend this event. Attendees are required to wear technical program badges throughout the reception, and badges may be checked during the event. 

For additional information visit the SC15 Web site, or connect on social media:

Enjoy the show!

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