Considering Time in Designing Large-Scale Systems for Scientific Computing

TL;DR

This paper explores how scientists interact with exascale HPC systems by examining the role of time, using ethnographic methods to inform future system design for improved scientific computing efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a novel ethnographic approach to studying scientists' interactions with exascale HPC systems through the lens of time, offering insights for future system design.

Findings

Time is a central metaphor in HPC user interactions.

Temporal rhythms influence how scientists engage with HPC systems.

Design considerations should incorporate collective and individual temporal dynamics.

Abstract

High performance computing (HPC) has driven collaborative science discovery for decades. Exascale computing platforms, currently in the design stage, will be deployed around 2022. The next generation of supercomputers is expected to utilize radically different computational paradigms, necessitating fundamental changes in how the community of scientific users will make the most efficient use of these powerful machines. However, there have been few studies of how scientists work with exascale or close-to-exascale HPC systems. Time as a metaphor is so pervasive in the discussions and valuation of computing within the HPC community that it is worthy of close study. We utilize time as a lens to conduct an ethnographic study of scientists interacting with HPC systems. We build upon recent CSCW work to consider temporal rhythms and collective time within the HPC sociotechnical ecosystem and provide considerations for future system design.