A professor from EPFL (Lausanne) gave a talk at MBZUAI on computing in the post-Moore era, highlighting the slowing of Moore's Law due to physical limits in transistor miniaturization. He discussed research challenges and opportunities for future computing technologies. He presented examples of post-Moore technologies he helped develop in the datacenter space. Why it matters: As Moore's Law slows, research into alternative computing paradigms becomes critical for the continued advancement of AI and digital services in the UAE and globally.
KAUST participated in SC21, the international supercomputing conference in St. Louis, Missouri, marking their 13th year of attendance. KAUST highlighted its commitment to being a supercomputing presence in the Arab world and its role in propelling research across scientific disciplines. KAUST graduates are contributing talent across the Middle East, and KAUST Computational Scientist Bilel Hadri will chair the reproducibility initiative at SC22. Why it matters: KAUST's involvement in SC21 underscores the growing importance of HPC in the Middle East and its contribution to building a knowledge-based economy.
KAUST Professor David Keyes will chair the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) 2020 in Frankfurt, Germany. Keyes is the director of KAUST's Extreme Computing Research Center and will be the first program chair from a Middle Eastern institution. The conference will address high performance computing (HPC) topics including processing, storage, algorithms, and the convergence of simulation, machine learning, and big data. Why it matters: This highlights KAUST's leadership in HPC within the Middle East, as the university is home to Shaheen II, the region's most powerful supercomputer.
KAUST researchers have been selected as finalists for two ACM Gordon Bell Prizes for high-performance computing. One project used NVIDIA GPUs to enhance genetic studies from the UK Biobank, achieving 133x speedup over existing software. The other developed an exascale climate emulator with higher spatial-temporal resolution than current models, demonstrated on supercomputers like Shaheen III. Why it matters: The recognition highlights KAUST's strength in high-performance computing research and its contributions to both genetic analysis and climate modeling.
This article discusses the Scalable Hierarchical Algorithms for eXtreme Computing (SHAXC) 2016 workshop that took place at KAUST. Participants at the workshop engaged in discussions on computing issues. The event was held at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Why it matters: Workshops like SHAXC at KAUST contribute to advancing computing research and development in the region.
KAUST's Extreme Computing Research Center Director David Keyes will chair the technical program of the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC18) in Dallas. Approximately 420 professional volunteers and 160 student volunteers are engaged in the technical program. During SC17, KAUST’s supercomputer Shaheen II was recognized as the fastest in the Middle East, and it is expected to retain this title at SC18. Why it matters: KAUST's leadership role highlights the university's growing influence in global supercomputing and positions the Kingdom as a key player in HPC research and development.
KAUST startup UnitX, founded by KAUST alumni Kiran Narayanan and Professor Ravi Samtaney, offers on-demand supercomputing services via a cloud-like platform. UnitX aims to democratize access to supercomputing for industries like finance, government, and manufacturing, enabling data-driven decisions and faster product design. The global market for supercomputing as a service is estimated at $224 billion with 25% year-on-year growth. Why it matters: This initiative could significantly boost AI and simulation capabilities for regional enterprises by providing access to advanced computing resources without the prohibitive costs of owning and operating supercomputers.
Prof. Mérouane Debbah of the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) warns that current AI development relies on unsustainable, energy-intensive "bruteforce computing." He argues that the field needs more energy-efficient algorithms instead of simply scaling up GPUs. Debbah suggests neuromorphic computing as a potential solution, drawing inspiration from the human brain's energy efficiency. Why it matters: This critique highlights a crucial sustainability challenge for AI in the GCC and globally, as the region invests heavily in compute-intensive AI models.