Some of supercomputing’s biggest names recently gathered in Florida for the SOS26 conference to discuss the future of technologies that are reshaping many parts the world.
Held in Cocoa Beach, Florida from March 11 to 14, researchers across the computing and data spectra participated in sessions developed by staff members from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, or ORNL, Sandia National Laboratories and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre, or CSCS. The conference name “SOS” is an acronym that reflects the three diverse groups, Sandia, Oak Ridge and Switzerland.
Held annually since 1997, this invitation-only conference hosts some of the scientific computing field’s leading figures and provides opportunities to collaborate, network and educate. Focus areas include exploring the latest in cutting-edge computing technologies, researching the evolving needs for computational sciences and developing the resources that make the research possible.
Leading the event was conference chair Gina Tourassi, associate laboratory director for Computing and Computational Sciences at ORNL. She was joined by several other ORNL staff members, including David Bernholdt, Nagi Rao and Michael Parks, who acted as session chairs, along with Alysha Tackett and Lora Wolfe, who organized the conference.
“As a first-time attendee to SOS, I was very impressed with the technical content of the workshop and with the format of technical presentations followed by panel discussions, which really engaged the audience,” said Parks, director of CCSD’s Computer Science and Mathematics Division.
The theme for this year’s conference was “Versatile HPC for the Evolving and Expanding Needs of Science.” Sessions covered an array of topics, from scientific instruments and integration to software sustainability and stewardship to programmatic high-performance computing access.
The partnership between ORNL, Sandia and CSCS was formed out of a shared commitment to advancing high performance computing, or HPC. Ramanan Sankaran, who leads the Multiscale Materials group at ORNL and served as an SOS26 co-chair, stressed the importance of the three organizations coming together annually and the uniqueness of this event.
“CSCS, Sandia, and Oak Ridge have big HPC centers, so in computing technologies and computer science there is interest in knowing what others are doing, what is in on their minds and what their unanswered questions are that we can answer together,” Sankaran said. “The interesting part about this event is that the people who come get to hear from and interact with participants at that cross section.”
SOS26, named for the 26th year of the conference, also featured several speakers from ORNL who work closely with the laboratory’s supercomputing and AI initiatives, including Craig Bridges, Sean Wilkinson, Scott Atchley and Prasanna Balaprakash.
“All seven sessions were very focused on the theme of the conference and each one left us with some thoughts as to what we should be looking out for,” said Sankaran. “There are a lot of discussions to be had as we plan our next workshop.”
The conference began more than two decades ago to form a multi-laboratory, multi-national partnership exploring how computer systems built from commodity-based components could be best used in a new computing industry focused on horizontal integration. The conference has since expanded to include a variety of other systems and HPC applications.
The SOS27 conference, scheduled for March 17-20, 2025, will be held in Engelberg, Switzerland, with the theme of “Fostering Innovation at Scale Beyond the Flops.”
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science. — Mark Alewine
