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T h e Fro n t P a g e E xc l u s i v e
G
Gary rider
Charting New Realms in High-Performance Computing
Senior Director for Computing Technology at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Los Alamos National Laboratory
Ofallthevisionarieswhoseworkhaspropelledhighperformance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) in our ever-evolving world, few have facilitated changes as profound as those of Gary Grider It is a life of unbridled innovation and visionary leadership, one that has not only extended the boundaries of technologybutreshapedtheintersectionofscience,industry, andgovernmentinthenewera.
Early Foundations: A Lifetime of Computing Appreciation
Gary'sjourneyintotheinnersanctumofcomputingwasover four decades ago. It was a time when mainframes ruled and the seeds of contemporary modern HPC were being sown. Rightfromthebeginning,hiscuriosityandtechnicalskillset him apart. He witnessed—and was a driver of infrastructure enabling the transition from monolithic mainframes to massivelyparallelprocessing(MPP),clustercomputing,and heterogeneousarchitecturesonwhichtoday'smostadvanced scientificendeavorsarebased.
His early years were filled with an experiential hands-on educationintechnology.Garydidn’tsitidlewhilecomputing evolved; he participated fully in it, taking in each new paradigmasitemerged.Thiscapacitytochangewouldbean omnipresentmotifthroughouthiscareer,asitenabledhimto thrive amid the turbulence of changes that have defined the field.
LeadershipatLosAlamos:ShapingtheFutureofScience
Asthe SeniorDirectorforComputingTechnologyatLos AlamosNationalLaboratory(LANL),Garyhasheldoneof the most visible positions in the global HPC community LANL, known for advancing the missions of scientific researchandnationalsecurity,hasprovidedtheidealsetting for Gary's abilities to be pushed to their limits. Through his years of service, the laboratory has continued to push the frontiersofcomputationalscience.
Gary's leadership is above technical capabilities; he's a strategist and a mentor, guiding teams through complex, multi-year efforts that necessitate patience as much as imagination Balancing short-term scientific needs and longer-term technological vision has kept LANL at the forefrontofHPCinnovation.
Gary has seen—and contributed to—some of computing's deepest technology advances throughout the course of his career HerecallstheeraofThinkingMachinesCorporation CM-2 and CM-5 that ushered the first generation of data parallelism at big scale into the later part of the 1980s and early1990s.ThefirststepsofAIpavedthewayonwhichthe runawayexpansionoccurredaftermorethanhalfacentury.
Gary's observations about the nature of computational workloads have been especially insightful. He noted in the early years that, contrary to intuition, the majority of HPC codes were not memory-bandwidth-constrained or flopconstrained but rather access pattern-constrained and memory-bandwidth-constrained. This sophisticated insight hasdriventhelab’ssystemdesignandoptimizationstrategy, whereby resources are being deployed where they make the biggestdifference.
As a result of the recent resurgence of AI, Gary has seen a strangeco-existenceofHPCandAIworkloads,i.e.,training, which by nature is flop-bound.That said, he is also quick to pointoutthattherealpromiseisinAIinference—utilizingthe models to make quick real-time decisions. Inference workloads,beingmostlymemory-bound,providetheperfect situation to lead the charge for innovation in memory technologies, an area Gary believes is long overdue for revolution.
The Changing Role of HPC: From Industry Driven to StrategicPartner
Garywitnessedtheextremetransformationinthefunctionof HPC in the overall computing sector In the pre-cloud days, technical innovation was driven by HPC Scientific computing stood as the driver of hardware and software innovation,andtheindustryfollowedsuit.
Theadventofcloudcomputingchangedtheterms,however. The number of cloud deployments swamped the industry to such an extent that it relegated HPC to a niche, though significant,position.Today,withAIcontrollingbothstate-ofthe-art and market share, the market has done it again. Gary admitsthatmuchofthetechnologybehindAIwasincubated intheHPCspace—dataparallelism,high-endinterconnects, andmemoryhierarchies—butAInowcapturestheindustry's attentionandinvestment.
“I’ve seen HPC evolve from mainframes to AI-driven clusters.”
This new world brings challenges as well as opportunities. Gary realizes that balance should be maintained between HPC's needs and the broaderAI marketplace in an effort to keep making gains. Where interests clash, it becomes progressively difficult to locate the investment and attention necessary to address HPC's unique problems. But he hopes that the increasing central role of AI inference, with its memory-intensive requirements, may at last trigger the innovationsHPChaspatientlyawaited.
their breaking points.Those "monsters," to which he fondly refers,arenotoriousfortheirvexingmemoryaccesspatterns thatexcludethemfromtakingfulladvantageofthepotential ofmodernprocessors.
Gary's response to such challenges is one of realism and determination. He knows that progress in this area has to be slow, taking years or decades to achieve significant improvements. It is a task of titanic proportions to substantially alter the underlying applications, rendered difficult by the necessity to keep scientific accuracy and reliabilityintact.
“AI training is the first truly flop-bound workload indecades.”
Throughout all these challenges, Gary stands tall and holds hisground.He'sconvincedthathopeexistsinthecrossroads of AI techniques, such as neural operators, that offer novel methods to resolve complexity By embracing these new technologies, he believes one can accelerate scientific progresswithoutcompromisingrigor
Bridging Science and Industry: Toward New Models of Collaboration
Among Gary's most insightful comments is possibly the passing of leadership from industry, government, and academia in pushing computing technology Governmentsponsoredendeavors—suchastheManhattanProjectandthe ColdWarthatfollowed—setthestateoftheartinscienceand engineering in the past. Industry is now leading the way, however, withAI as just one example, where "factories" of innovationareredefiningthepaceofadvancements.
Garyishighlyconcernedaboutthedangersofthisshift.When governmentismoreconsumerthangeneratoroftechnology, security, sovereignty, and strategic control concerns cast a long shadow He suggests new paradigms for public-private partnership, recognizing that challenges of the future will require unprecedented levels of cooperation and shared visioninhistorybooks.
The Evolving Ecosystem: Integration, Innovation,andEconomics
The HPC market has experienced titanic structure transformation in the last few years,andsystemsintegrationisaprime example. What was core business for high-end integrators to design and dominate the software stacks that powered super systems, cloud computing took in its stride, andtheriseofAI"factories"
further centralized integration in the hands of a few major vendors.
Garyispragmaticinhisperspectiveonthesechanges.While the older HPC integration market has contracted, he sees possibilitiesforopen-sourceinitiativeandsolutionsbasedon communities He cautions against vendor lock-in and proprietary approaches, advocating low-cost, adaptable approachesallowingscientificuserstoparticipateactively
He also comprehends the economic imperatives for the adoptionoftechnology.Itisnotcreatedthroughinnovations themselves,butthroughpervasive,persistentadoptionofnew technologiesaspartofscientificandindustriallife.Itrequires patience,vision,andanunwaveringcommitmenttothelong term.
VisionfortheFuture:AIasaCatalystforChange
ThemostpersuasiveaspectofGary'sleadershipisperhapshis flexibility,evenifitdisruptsfixedhabits.HedoesnotseeAI as something that assaults HPC but as something that will propel its advancement. The prospect of being able to build advanced simulations in weeks instead of years of reaching "virtual resolution," and having software that adapts automaticallythrillshimimmensely
Garyisnotshyaboutpresentingdifficultquestionsregarding the future of HPC. What if AI and cloud computing are everywhere,and"traditional"HPCisaroundingerrorinthe computing universe? What if the simulation model is reimaginedbeyondcomprehension?
Adaptability is the key for Gary—it's about finding leaders whocanbothpropeltheexcitingpromiseoftomorrowandthe glacial,oftenpainful,remakingofthemoment.
Mentorship and Team Building: Forging the Next Generation
Most significant, and by far most unrecognized, of Gary's legacy is his abilityinmentorshipandteambuilding. HebelievesthatHPCandAIproblemsare as much human as they are technical. Recruiting, teaching, and retaining folks in a field defined by incremental progress and immensedepthisnosmallaccomplishment.
Gary's approach is motivating and empowering. He encourageshisteamsto"havelotsofironsinthefire"and acknowledgesthatchangeisgradualandthatoneneedsto have endurance. Through creating a culture of persistence and inquiry, he has educated a generation of engineers and scientistsreadytoconquerthemostrecalcitrantproblemsof ourtime.
ReflectionsonRiskandReward:NavigatingUncertainty
Gary is candid about the danger in the wings. Transitioning from government-to-industry-led innovation is risky business, as he believes. The risk of miscalculation is high, and the price of foregone opportunity for governmentindustrycollaborationremainsapowerfulstumblingblock.
However, he is convinced that this progress can still be achieved.Bykeepingabalancedportfolioofongoingprojects and collaborations, and by embracing new concepts and practicestowork,GarybelievesthattheHPCcommunitycan stillservemeaningfulrolesinscienceandsociety.
Legacy and Impact: A Lasting Contribution to Science andTechnology
Gary's work has had a lasting influence that transcends the confines of Los Alamos. He has influenced the direction of scientific inquiry, national security, and industrial development with his work on HPC and AI. He has been a steadfast proponent of balanced, memory-centric system design, open and collaborative integration methods, and the patient,strategicpursuitofparadigm-changingresults.
Gary's legacy is one of vision, perseverance, and steadfast dedication to humanity's evolution. He has weathered the waves of technological revolution with poise and fortitude, always gazing out onto the horizon but never losing touch withthesoilofpresentreality
“AI training is the first truly flop-bound workload indecades.”
AVisionaryfortheDigitalAge
In an age characterized by rapid change and limitless complexity, Gary stands as a beacon of purpose and clarity. His own life is an example of elasticity, collaboration, and visionary strategy. As HPC and AI continue to redefine the globe,Gary'svisionandintellectwillbevital,guidinganew generation of visionary leaders into a future limited only by imagination.