The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis
The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis
Moderator: Dan Reed (University of Utah)
Panelists: David Patterson (Google LLC), Nicolas Dubé (Professional Engineer), Michael Beatty (Nalco Water: An Ecolab Company), Ryousei Takano (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan), Christine Kirkpatrick (San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC))
Abstract: Today's AI supercomputers push power boundaries, often exceeding 200MW, far beyond traditional HPC. While HPC has pioneered operational efficiency for large-scale workloads, AI's explosive growth now accelerates innovations like photonics and small modular reactors (SMRs). This panel will discuss the profound impact of these high-density AI/HPC supercomputers on energy, CO2 emissions, and water usage. We'll explore AI's carbon footprint (currently 1.2%–1.5% of global electricity), the shift toward co-located energy generation, and water-efficient cooling strategies. Crucially, we'll examine AI as an HPC workload, the 100x greater AI hardware investment, and evolving benchmarking like "tokens per kilowatt-hour." The discussion will highlight changing roles for HPC in an AI-driven future, emphasizing collaboration and leveraging HPC expertise for sustainable, scalable AI growth.