Jan. 13, 2021 — Europe’s computing systems research and innovation community will come together for the 2021 HiPEAC conference, which will take place as a fully virtual event from 18-20 January.

As well as showcasing the very best technology advances from industry and the academic world, the event will launch the latest edition of the ‘HiPEAC Vision’ which explores a range of topics including the effects of COVID-19 on digitization, open source hardware and the need and drive for digital sovereignty.

HiPEAC21’s comprehensive programme of activities will address the key issues facing the computing systems with which our ways of life are increasingly interwoven and will build on HiPEAC’s long-established reputation as a hub for leading thinkers in embedded and high-performance computing.

‘The last year more than any other has shown how digital technologies play a role in how we live in the 21^st century,’ says HiPEAC coordinator Professor Koen De Bosschere (Ghent University). ‘Thanks to digital technologies we were able to work and study from home and find a cure for COVID-19. Europe is in a prime position to play a role of leadership and excellence in the computing continuum, so that we can ensure that we get the best of what computing systems have to offer – such as better prediction of extreme weather and personalized medicine – while ensuring that both citizens’ rights and the environment are cherished and protected.’

The schedule is led by three keynote talks from leading international experts. On Monday 18 January, Evangelos Eleftheriou (IBM) will look at in-memory computing for AI applications and its potential for improving performance and efficiency. On Tuesday 19 January, Brad McCredie (AMD) will explore the path to exascale and beyond with a perspective on what will drive performance and add value in today’s evolving HPC market. Tulika Mitra (National University of Singapore) will round off the keynote talks on Wednesday 20 January with a discussion of software-defined accelerators for edge computing and the opportunities they look set to open up. Keynote talks are scheduled for early afternoon CET, to allow conference attendees from around the globe to take part.

Beyond academic excellence, the conference also celebrates the transformation of the latest research results into market-ready innovations. As well as providing a forum for researchers from across academia and industry to exchange ideas, the conference features a specific TETRAMAX workshop on technology transfer. This follows the recent HiPEAC Tech Transfer Awards, which recognized eight examples of the transfer and application of concrete research results to industrial and commercial use.

Conference highlights also include:

• An industry session that will showcase the vision, activities and passions of a range of top international tech companies and European research consortia.
• Three days of STEM activities for students and early career researchers led by the HiPEAC Jobs team. STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) days allow those just starting out in their research career to meet one-to-one with top companies as well as get advice on career development and options.
• A session on the new Transcontinuum Initiative, following the launch of the action by eight organizations. The initiative promotes horizontal collaboration between European associations and projects involved in IT technology, application and services.
• A workshop led by the BRAINE (Big data pRocessing and Artificial Intelligence at the Network Edge) project, that will complement Tulika Mitra’s keynote on edge computing.
•  The latest developments in HPC and exascale – for example in the European Processor Initiative (EPI) tutorial and the PROHEXA: Programming environments and models for improved productivity for heterogeneous Exascale Computing Systems workshop.

As in previous years, the conference benefits from the support of technology companies and research centres large and small, including Arm, DeepMind, Huawei, Raytheon, Stream HPC and MonetDB Solutions. For the full list, see the HiPEAC website.

View the programme on the HiPEAC21 website – note that you can filter sessions by smart application area and/or technology focus: hipeac.net/2021

About HiPEAC

HiPEAC (High Performance Embedded Architecture and Compilation) is a premier focal point for networking, dissemination, training and collaboration activities in Europe for researchers, industry, and policy related to computing systems. Today, its network, the biggest of its kind in Europe, numbers over 2,000 specialists.

HiPEAC’s mission is to advance computer architecture and computing systems research and development as a discipline in Europe. Its objectives are to:

• Secure and strengthen a leading position for Europe in computing systems that support all aspects of modern society by advancing computing systems as a discipline.
• Prepare the next generation of world-class computing systems scientists and engineers in Europe by supporting their academic and professional development.
• Build a dynamic ecosystem for the design and implementation of computing systems in Europe by bringing together European research, industry and policy.
• Align research efforts in computing systems and strengthen research impact in Europe by identifying long-term challenges in computing systems and articulating their impact on modern society.

Visit hipeac.net for more information about the project.

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Source: HiPEAC