With SC13 kicking off in Denver, we thought it fitting to explore what makes this event such a touchstone for the community. For Wilfred Pinfold, Director of Research and Advanced Technology Development at Intel, like so many others it’s the people and the power of face-to-face communication in an increasingly virtual-based world.
Pinfold discusses the importance of attending SC. “In the era of high-performance computing pretty much everyone I collaborate with is here,” he states. “It’s extremely useful once a year to meet face to face.”
“SC is somewhat remarkable in that it is mostly a volunteer organization, and that allows it to be more lively than a structured organization. We turn over roles every year, and people can take a role that they’ve never taken before…that kind of volunteer organization is much more innovative,” he continues.
A long-time computer industry executive, Pinfold has spent 20 years at Intel. He joined Intel Supercomputer Systems Division in 1992 and since then has held positions application development, marketing, program management and general management. Pinfold holds a PhD in Computational Fluid Dynamics and studied business at Stanford.