ISC26 BoF: Rethinking HPC User Support for the AI and Exascale Era#

Information for Participants#

When and where#

What this session is about#

HPC user support is becoming more important than ever. As systems grow more complex and AI workflows become part of everyday HPC use, support teams are under increasing pressure to help larger and more diverse user communities effectively.

This Birds of a Feather (BoF) session aims to bring together:

Our goal is to exchange experiences, identify shared challenges, and explore practical ways to make HPC user support more sustainable, effective, and collaborative.

Why join?#

This session is a chance to:

Who should attend?#

Whether you work in public research or industry, and whether you provide support or receive it, we’d be happy to have you join. This session is about learning from each other and building a more sustainable future for HPC user support together.

How to participate#

Please come ready to:

No preparation is required.

Main discussion themes#

Topics may include:

Session structure and setup#

This is an interactive session with minimal formal presentation.

Structure#

  1. Introduction – overview of goals, themes, and outcomes
  2. Live survey – quick interactive survey to understand who is in the room and what challenges matter most
  3. Roundtable discussions – small-group discussions focused on practical experiences and ideas
  4. Report back – each table shares key takeaways
  5. Prioritisation and conclusion – participants vote on promising ideas and discuss next steps

Session setup#

Tables will include:

Outcomes#

We aim to leave the session with:

Organisers and speakers#