SC23 took place in downtown Denver, Colorado, from November 12-17. In its 35th year, the conference attracted over 14,000 attendees and carried the theme of "I am hpc" to highlight the human context in our outcomes and our personal stories of overcoming obstacles to achieve. There was a strong focus on inclusion and humanizing the field to draw more people in with aspirational stories.
True to the theme, Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, author of A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Streets to the Stars, shared his unbelievable journey of perseverance to become an Astrophysicist in the event keynote. His story was inspiring as the man faced obstacles at every turn, proving that our trajectory is not always determined solely by our initial conditions. Throughout the session, he repeated his mantra of "Hope, Hussle, and Help" to reveal his secrets to success. His story was riveting as he faced the streets, gangs, and drugs, yet he was always drawn back to his intended path. It was with the help of a few pivotal people who saw something great in him and didn't let him quit. The audience walked away with a desire to see through the surface of others and help them reach their full potential. Engaging, inspiring, and empowering underscores the 'I am hpc' theme.
The show floor was bustling, with attendees searching for knowledge and the latest innovations in HPC. Dell Technologies featured a VR experience to bring innovation to life through the digital twin of their HPC & AI Innovation Lab. Visitors could simulate climate change, explore the human genome, and orbit space. They also featured server, storage, and networking products, along with a series of presentations. Directly next to Dell was Intel's booth, featuring their latest AI and HPC innovations. They also featured live presentations and demos throughout the event focused on LLMs, AI accelerators, and HPC and AI running together, simultaneously with Intel Data Center GPU Max 1100 and oneAPI. As these and other industry leaders push the limits on CPUs and GPUs to achieve the next level of generative AI and LLM solutions, we are intrigued by the interest in liquid cooling solutions to address the cooling challenge. Liquid-cooled racks, components, and immersion solutions were on display scattered throughout the show floor.
To support the emergence of liquid cooling solutions, SC23 featured a Birds of a Feather session entitled "Immersion Cooling: 3 Considerations You Should Care about and Real-World Deployment Experiences." This session included representatives from Green Revolution Cooling and Submer as they discussed the types, benefits, and challenges of liquid cooling solutions. The moderator started by discussing high-wattage CPU and GPU platforms that keep getting hotter. He cleverly asked how you fight a fire, with the obvious answer being that you drown it. It is a metaphor for the challenges and solutions facing the industry and innovation progress. A lively and informative discussion ensued with a deep dive into single-phase immersion as a compelling answer to the next decade's cooling challenges and the density and environmental requirements. With sustainability on the minds of many, they even shared feel-good stories of heat reuse for swimming pools and the production of drying milk for baby formula. If you didn't have the opportunity to attend in person, the sessions are available on-demand at https://sc23.conference-program.com/.
Interested in Learning More About Immersion?
For years, UNICOM Engineering has partnered with industry experts to develop immersion-ready servers and solutions to drive AI and LLM workloads. Our solutions deliver density and performance while solving physical and regulatory environmental concerns. Visit us at Liquid Cooling | UNICOM Engineering to learn more and schedule a consultation today.