Report from the first NAISS User Forum and All Hands meeting 5-6 December 2023
On the first day, attendees listened to NAISS representatives inform about the current status of NAISS, plans for user support, and the establishment of NAISS branches.
On the second day, Paul Erhardt and Peter Münger from the National Allocations Committee presented trends in applications and current allocation issues. Later, Branislav Jansík from the IT4Innovations supercomputing centre in Czech Republic and Erik Lindahl, Professor of the Royal Institute of Technology and Deputy Chairman of the NAISS Steering Group, joined a panel discussion about current and future trends in scientific HPC, storage and big data, with focus on consequences for Swedish research.
“On the right track”
Both days offered ample of time for group and plenary discussions where users and NAISS staff voiced their perspectives on services, priorities, support and allocation.
“To me, this User Forum was a success. There was a strong attendance, and we received a wide range of feedback from different research environments. My impression is that we are on the right track and that users are behind us”, NAISS Acting Director Björn Alling says.
Going forward, one of the most important tasks is setting up a solid support organisation. Users are encouraged to nominate candidates to the User Support Advisory Committee (USAC).
“We are organising user support in a new way. We are appointing a permanent user support advisory committee that will be the users’ eyes and ears, working alongside our support organisation and providing continuous feedback. Users will have a solid influence and we want them to be confident that we are there for them.”
Preparations for the procurement of Arrhenius
Another important task presented and discussed at the conference is the configuration of Arrhenius, the new supercomputer funded by the EU and the Swedish Research Council. NAISS is gathering ideas and opinions about prioritisations ahead of the upcoming procurement process, which technical staff is currently busy preparing.
“Striking the right balance is crucial. We cannot satisfy all demands, but overall, there will be increased resources, and everybody will get something. We have to prioritise and ensure a fair allocation of limited resources”, Björn Alling says.
“Our timeline for procurement and installation is realistic, but it is also aggressive. However, this is what is expected from us, to have Arrhenius operational the first part of 2025. I think it will be possible. We will work hard to achieve it.”
Download User Forum presentations
| Björn Alling, Acting Director Jan-Eric Sundgren, Chairman | The current status of NAISS, existing services and ongoing developments (PDF) |
| Gert Svensson, Technical Director | Arrhenius procurement (PDF) |
| Niclas Andersson, Technical Director | The Arrhenius NAISS-EuroHPC system (PDF) |
| Torben Rasmussen and Henrik Zazzi, User Support | The NAISS way for user support and NAISS branches (PDF) |
| Paul Erhardt, NAC Chairman Peter Münger, NAC Secretary | Trends in applications and current allocation policy issues (PDF) |
| Branislav Jansik, IT4Innovations | Trends in HPC (PDF) |