The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis
The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis
Authors: Rafael Ferreira da Silva (Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)), Daniela Cassol (ESnet; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)), Frédéric Suter (Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)), Kyle Chard (University of Chicago), Ian Foster (Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)), Deborah Bard (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)), Florina Ciorba (University of Basel), Shantenu Jha (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory), Marco Verdicchio (SURF)
Abstract: This BoF will convene the workflows community to discuss emerging directions in scientific workflow execution, including agentic workflows, integration of high performance and quantum computing workflows, and coordinated allocation and scheduling across experimental and computing facilities. A central focus will be on ensuring end-to-end resource availability when workflows depend on limited instrument time and distributed infrastructure. The session will also address the need for infrastructure and policy reforms to support intelligent, cross-facility execution. Through interactive discussions, participants will explore collaborative strategies to enable resilient, scalable, and adaptive workflows that meet the evolving demands of scientific discovery.
Long Description: Scientific workflows are undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), the rise of agentic systems, the convergence of HPC and quantum computing (QC), and the increasing need for near real-time coordination across computing and experimental facilities. This BoF builds on three prior successful sessions at SC22, SC23, and SC24, which have each gathered between 85 and 120 participants. The SC24 session in particular attracted over 90 attendees and sparked significant discussions around multi-facility workflows, metadata, and near real-time orchestration.
This year, we broaden the conversation by focusing on four emerging and interrelated challenges. First, we will explore the rise of agentic workflows, where intelligent systems autonomously make decisions during execution. Second, we will examine how workflows must evolve to integrate heterogeneous computing resources, particularly as quantum computing becomes more prominent alongside traditional HPC systems. Third, we will discuss the increasing need to co-schedule computing and instrument resources to enable seamless execution of workflows that span experiments and simulations, especially under tight operational constraints. Finally, we will address the infrastructure and policy reforms required to support these capabilities, including rethinking scheduling, access policies, and system design.
These challenges mirror many of the issues raised in related discussions on near real-time streaming and compute-in-the-loop architectures. The need to move beyond batch scheduling and support workflows that are event-driven, adaptive, and latency-sensitive is becoming increasingly urgent. Moreover, existing facility policies and infrastructure were not designed for workflows that must react to experimental data in near real-time or that need to coordinate across multiple sites and technologies.
This BoF will bring together researchers, facility operators, and workflow developers to assess the current landscape and envision the next phase of workflow-enabled science. Participants will hear from experts who are leading national and international initiatives in agentic workflows, HPC/QC integration, and cross-facility execution. The session will feature lightning talks to set the stage, followed by a highly interactive format where attendees will engage in small-group discussions focused on identifying key challenges and actionable next steps in each thematic area.
Outcomes from the session will include a summary of community-identified barriers and priorities, as well as an invitation to contribute to future collaborative efforts within the Workflows Community Initiative. We aim to catalyze new collaborations, identify policy and infrastructure gaps, and chart a community-informed roadmap for workflow innovation.
SC25 provides an ideal venue for this discussion by bringing together a global community of stakeholders in high-performance and data-intensive computing. This BoF will serve as a collaborative forum to define the requirements for resilient, intelligent, and coordinated workflows that can meet the demands of the next generation of scientific discovery.
Website: https://workflows.community/bof/sc25