April 11, 2025 - by Dino Conciatore, CSCS
HEPiX—the High Energy Physics IT Forum—connects IT experts working in high energy and nuclear physics. System administrators, engineers, and IT managers from research labs worldwide gather to share their experience and collaborate on the computing and data infrastructure challenges unique to the field. The forum rotates between Asia, Europe, and North America, and this spring, CSCS was proud to facilitate the conversation. The event brought together 124 registered participants from 40 institutions across 18 countries, making it a truly global exchange of ideas.
A Program Packed with Insights
The five-day event featured a rich program with 75 contributions across 10 thematic tracks, totalling 27 hours of presentations and discussions. Topics ranged from technical deep dives to long-term strategic planning, reflecting the diversity and complexity of IT needs in scientific research environments.
Key highlights included:
- Site Reports: Updates from participating institutions, spotlighting new developments and lesser-known contributions.
- Networking & Security: A look into evolving networking technologies, IPv6 readiness, and robust approaches to computer security.
- Storage & Data Management: Sharing solutions for distributed storage systems and efficient data movement strategies.
- Cloud Technologies, Virtualization & Orchestration: Exploring Kubernetes, cloud platforms, and dynamic resource provisioning.
- Computing & Batch Services: Discussing advancements in high throughput computing, benchmarking, and the use of GPUs and HPC resources.
- Environmental Sustainability & Facility Improvement: Addressing energy-efficient practices, cooling innovations, and infrastructure resilience.
- Software and Services for Operation: Highlighting operational tools, from IaaS platforms to configuration databases and monitoring services.
- Mid-Long Term Evolution of Facilities: Presenting roadmaps for the next 3–10 years, in collaboration with the WLCG Operations TEG.
- Miscellaneous: Capturing those valuable insights that don’t quite fit elsewhere but spark meaningful dialogue.
A Collaborative Atmosphere
What stood out throughout the week was the collaborative spirit of the forum. Whether during sessions, coffee breaks, or informal evening gatherings, participants engaged in lively discussions and formed new connections that will no doubt lead to further innovation and partnership.
CSCS is grateful to have had the opportunity to host this vibrant community and thanks everyone who contributed to making the event a success. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the sponsors whose generous support helped make HEPiX Lugano 2025 possible. Their contributions were essential in creating a welcoming and productive environment for knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
