EPFL hpc-ch Forum

Call for Participation: hpc-ch forum on Improving Access to HPC

Date and Location

Event webpage
Thursday, May 7, 2026
+ community dinner on Wednesday, May 6, 2026

EPFL – Starling Hotel Lausanne
Rte Cantonale 31
1025 Saint-Sulpice
Switzerland

 

Forum Details

Overview
Improving Access to High-Performance Computing (HPC) focuses on making powerful computing resources more available to a wider range of users. Currently, access is limited by high costs, technical complexity, and a lack of skills.

To address this, efforts should focus on expanding shared infrastructure and resource availability, improving education and training so more people can use these systems effectively, and creating supportive policies and funding models to reduce financial barriers. Additionally, making software more user-friendly and encouraging collaboration and resource sharing can further broaden access.

Overall, improving access to HPC means making it easier, more affordable, and more inclusive for everyone to benefit from advanced computing.

Key Questions

  • What are the main barriers (technical, financial, and educational) that limit access to High-Performance Computing for researchers and organizations
  • How can cloud-based HPC services help improve accessibility compared to traditional on-premises supercomputing systems
  • How can institutions better prepare users to utilize these resources effectively?
  • In what ways can software tools, interfaces, and automation reduce the complexity of using HPC systems for non-expert users?
  • How can international collaboration and shared HPC infrastructures (e.g., research networks or consortia) improve equitable access to computing power?

Program

Please note the full program will be available towards end of April. Meeting material will be uploaded here after the event.

Guided Tours

Spots are limited, so don’t forget to select your preferred tour during registration.

  • Tour I: CCT-DC tour (Centrale de Chauffe Thermique)

Discover EPFL’s cutting-edge CCT-Data Center, a 1,000m² facility hosting 200 water-cooled racks and powered by renewable energy from photovoltaic panels and an innovative heating system using water from Lake Geneva.

Currently home to supercomputers JED and KUMA, the center supports advanced scientific research, particularly in Artificial Intelligence and deep learning. KUMA stands out as an environmentally efficient resource, ranking 23rd in the Green500 and 103rd in the Top500 most powerful supercomputers in 2024, showcasing EPFL’s commitment to innovation and sustainability.

  • Tour II: SPC/TCV Tokamak

Explore the Swiss Plasma Center (SPC) and dive into the world of plasma and fusion research during this exclusive tour.

Discover cutting-edge facilities, including Switzerland’s only tokamak, a state-of-the-art fusion device using magnetic fields to confine plasma within a toroidal chamber. Learn about groundbreaking advancements in fusion energy at one of the world’s premier research centers.

Community Dinner

A community dinner will be generously sponsored by EPFL on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

Participation is free, but registration for this specific event is mandatory.

Please note that places are limited.

Registration

The forum will be conducted exclusively in person.

The room capacity is limited therefore we invite you to register at your earliest convenience.

To confirm your attendance, please submit the registration form no later than April 29, 2026. Click here to register now.