Last week, Spectra Logic exhibited at one of its largest industry trade shows of the year: Supercomputing 2017. Also referred to as SC17, Supercomputing is an international event dedicated to showcasing work in high performance computing, networking, storage and analysis. This year’s show was held right in our own backyard at the Colorado Convention Center, and was attended by HPC professionals from around the globe.

Spectra team members observed several trends and HPC industry developments. Here are a few of the hot topics and trends that stood out:

• Adoption of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Machine Learning: Artificial intelligence, virtual reality and machine learning were all hot topics on the exhibition floor.
• The idea with machine learning is that, in fields like HPC, it helps data scientists focus more on their work, rather than infrastructure.
• These new technologies are showing up in consumer-friendly applications like self-driving cars, facial recognition devices, etc.
• Users are concerned with of AI’s power of application/s, human trust and transparency, which may potentially undermine its future use.
• Strong University Presence: With the numerous universities exhibiting at SC17 this year, it’s evident that high performance computing is crucial for the research and development that occurs at the academic level.
• Emergence of LTO Tape: We overheard lots of buzz around LTO-8 and LTO-8 Type M tape technology. Tape is very much a staple in the long-term storage strategies of HPC organizations.
• While Spectra’s tape solutions are still incredibly popular among the HPC community, people also recognize that Spectra is more than just tape. Solutions like BlackPearl, Verde NAS and ArcticBlue are receiving more attention within the HPC space.

SC17 was a great success for Spectra Logic! We had many customers, partners, and press/analysts visit our booth, meet with our executives, and express interest in our solutions. Looking forward, we are excited to see what trends develop in HPC in 2018. See you all at next year’s show!

Share your experiences from #SC17 with us on Twitter @spectralogic.

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