Hartree Centre on tour | ISC26 round-up 

At International Supercomputing Conference 2026 (ISC26) was the biggest edition of the conference yet, welcoming over 3,500 attendees and more than 200 exhibitors from across the global HPC community. 

 ISC26 quickly filled with excitement as organisations arrived to set up their booths to share their latest research and innovations. This year we shared a booth with STFC Scientific Computing and the National Quantum Computing Centre, giving visitors a single place to see the breadth of the UK’s capability in HPC, AI and quantum computing. Events like ISC offer a rare, concentrated look at where computing technologies and architectures are headed, giving a clear demonstration of the direction the field is taking and a forum to reflect on shared challenges, exchange knowledge and begin building collaborative solutions together. It made for a brilliant week of conversations, meeting wonderful new faces, reconnecting with familiar ones, and forging new connections across the HPC ecosystem. 

The conference theme this year was Connecting the Dots and it felt apt. Across keynotes, sessions and the exhibition floor, a handful of ideas kept surfacing: the convergence of novel technologies, the urgency around developing AI safely and ethically and a growing recognition that the communities driving these technologies forward need to do more to bring the wider world with them. 

Our Chief Science Officer, Vassil Alexandrov adding some of his takeaways: 

“We can see the unprecedented rapid development of digital technologies and computing architecture like never before, all of which has the potential to change the HPC landscape. Which is why attending and presenting at events like ISC helps to keep the Hartree Centre at the forefront of these emerging technologies and helps build the collaborations we need to solve the grand challenges we are facing as a society like climate change.” 

Across the week we contributed to three major sessions at ISC26: our annual quantum and hybrid quantum classical computing workshop, now in its fifth year, alongside two Birds of a Feather on communications and HPC training. Together they told a story about what it takes to not only advance these technologies but ensure the benefits reach a wide range of people and lowering the barriers for entry. 

Our quantum workshop drew a full house and mirroring tone of conversations that we felt throughout the conference. Co-hosted by Vassil Alexandrov and Emre Sahin, the workshop focused on accessibility, open-source tooling and the practical steps needed to bring quantum computing into real world HPC environments. 

Our quantum software engineer Oscar Wallis presented the Quantum Resource Management Interface, one of the open-source projects we are actively developing to lower the barrier for organisations looking to explore quantum. Again and again, presenters returned to collaboration, recognising that no single organisation will unlock quantum utility alone and that open, shared tools are how the community gets there together. 

Stella Elena Alexandrova, who hosted our communications Birds of a Feather shared why is important to not only focus on technological innovation: 

“Success depends on people, not only on computing power. The work of making advanced digital technologies truly accessible does not begin and end with novel technologies; it requires helping more people understand what these technologies are, what they can do, and how to use them effectively.” 

That was the thread running through both of our Birds of a Feather sessions, each approaching the challenge from a different angle.  

Our communications Birds of a Feather was the first of its kind at ISC, bringing together researchers, industry professionals and communications specialists to explore how the HPC community can better reach the people who need to hear about its work. Key themes included how to articulate the value of large-scale collaborative projects to funders and policymakers, how to tailor messages for audiences with very different levels of technical knowledge, and how to use the story of a facility or technology to connect with stakeholders on a human level. The session made clear that effective communication is not an afterthought for the HPC community but a critical part of ensuring its work has the impact it deserves. 

Olivia continued to highlight the importance of effective communication as she later went on to speak at the Women in High Performance Computing Tech Talks: 

“The conversations I’ve had at ISC so far reinforce something I feel strongly about: communications isn’t an add-on for the HPC community, it’s how we make sure our work reaches the people who need to hear it.” 

Our training Birds of a Feather, co-hosted by Rachel Williamson, our Quality Assurance Lead, is now an established fixture of the ISC programme, tackled the equally important question of how we make sure people have the skills to work with these technologies once they know about them. This year the session introduced a roundtable format to encourage more open and honest exchange, and it worked. Participants discussed how to keep training materials current and effective in a rapidly shifting landscape, and where the gaps in quality assurance across the European training ecosystem still lie. One of the conference’s hot topics also surfaced strongly here: how to handle the use of AI tools, which some learners treat as a fix-all, leading to cognitive offloading and a negative impact on learning cycles. The energy in the room was a reminder of how much trainers and educators care about getting this right, and how much work remains to be done collectively. 

From a record-breaking exhibition floor to a packed-out schedule, ISC26 became a hub for advanced digital technology and innovation, offering an ideal forum to meet industry leaders and explore future collaborations. It also provided a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the cutting-edge developments from academia, industry and public sector organisations. We were excited to share our latest advances in research, training and effective communications and to hear so many conversations around emerging technologies. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth and joined the conversation, we look forward to continuing it at ISC27. 

Stay connected with us by joining our newsletter or following us on LinkedIn for updates on our work!