Reorganisation to strengthen PDC within High-Performance Computing
"Marks an exciting phase for PDC"
"We aim to be a driving force in HPC development and continue contributing to national and international research in this field." Patrick Norman, Director of the Parallel Computing Centre, shares insights on the ongoing reorganisation and its importance for Sweden's High-Performance Computing.
Why is the PDC being reorganised?
"This year, the National Academic Infrastructure for Supercomputing in Sweden (NAISS) at Linköping University took over responsibility for Swedish High-Performance Computing (HPC). This led to a necessary reassessment of our role at KTH. With several universities involved in NAISS, it was natural for KTH to establish a branch, which is now the Parallel Computing Centre (PDC). This has made us redefine our future role in Swedish HPC, with an increased ambition to take the lead nationally and internationally in software development for advanced supercomputers."
Patrick continues:
"The reorganisation focuses on three main groups led by Åsa Andersson for System Operations, Henric Zazzi for Software Services, and Peter Larsson for Software Development. This enables a stronger focus on the centre's core business, including system operations, resource availability, and advanced software development in science and engineering."
How will partners and users of the PDC's capabilities feel the changes?
"We expect to increase the use of GPU-equipped nodes at Dardel, which means that partners such as Scania and research groups using HPC will have to adapt to more Graphics processing unit driven simulation activities (GPU). Our focus on software development is crucial to support this transition."
What do you hope will be the most significant improvement from this change?
"It will lead to a more straightforward definition of the role of KTH and PDC in the new HPC landscape in Sweden."
What improvements do you hope the staff will experience after the reorganisation?
"The staff will see PDC as a central player in the Swedish HPC infrastructure and that this reorganisation will be an essential step towards preparing us for the future. Furthermore, they will feel better support and guidance in their daily work, especially with a management structure where the immediate manager is actively involved."