Birds of a Feather Archive

Building Resilient and Sustainable HPC Communities Across Continents

Authors: Kathryn Kelley (Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation), Steven Chapman (University of Exeter), Jean-Christophe Desplat (Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC)), Barr von Oehsen (Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center), Andrew Richards (Imperial College London), Alan Real (Durham University), Helena Vela Beltran (Do IT Now, Women in HPC), Per Öster (CSC - IT Center for Science, NeIC)

Abstract: This BoF convenes global leaders of high performance computing (HPC) communities to identify common challenges and share strategies for building and sustaining regional and national HPC ecosystems. Co-hosted by the UK HPC-SIG and the U.S. CASC, the session builds on a successful ISC2025 BoF and CASC’s 2025 position paper on RCD regional collaboration. Participants will exchange funding and governance models, explore cross-border partnerships, and co-develop ideas for an international HPC Communities Network and shared resource hub. The session fosters peer-to-peer learning and lays the groundwork for a collaborative publication and ongoing global engagement.

Long Description: As more countries and regions recognize the value of HPC for scientific research and innovation, strong community structures are essential. This Birds of a Feather session, co-hosted by the UK High Performance Computing Special Interest Group (HPC-SIG) and the US Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC), focuses on the development, structure, and sustainability of regional and national high-performance computing (HPC) communities. Building off a successful launch at ISC2025 BoF, and a CASC Positions Paper on RCD Regional Communities, this session continues an important international dialogue aimed at fostering collaboration, mapping resources, and supporting global infrastructure. Participants will engage in open discussion about different organizational and funding models, effective community-building strategies, and cross-border partnership approaches.

The primary aim of this session is to identify shared challenges and persistent barriers in building and sustaining HPC communities, and to exchange practical strategies and successful models that participants have used to overcome and transform these issues in their own contexts. Through this peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, we will surface patterns, uncover adaptable practices, and support collective problem-solving across the global HPC landscape.

Session Goals: *Showcase community models: Share and compare diverse structural models of HPC organizations, including member-driven and government-supported examples (e.g., Ireland, France, PRACE, EuroHPC, Digital Research Alliance of Canada, and regional RSE groups). *Exchange sustainable strategies: share and evaluate approaches to long-term sustainability, including funding mechanisms such as memberships, sponsorships, and co-branded activities. *Co-develop a global resource roadmap: Collaboratively define the elements and priorities of an international HPC resource map and explore the concept of a shared online hub for community knowledge exchange. *Catalyze a Global HPC Communities Network: Advance the concept of a formalized global network, outlining next steps, shared goals and shared infrastructure to support this. *Capture insights for future publication: Crowdsource generalizable characteristics, lessons learned and success factors that could inform a future international position paper and collaborative initiatives.

Topics to be explored include: *Governance and funding frameworks *Community engagement and collaboration models *Role of national and regional support structures *Shared events, training, and outreach programs *Thematic commonalities that define successful RCD communities

This session will also introduce highlights from CASC’s 2025 position paper, "Mapping and Expanding the RCD Regional Collaboration Ecosystem," as a foundation for further resource mapping across global communities.

Website: https://hpc-communities.github.io

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