JSC Recaps ISC 2026 with Spotlight on JUPITER and Hybrid HPC

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July 8, 2026 — ISC High Performance 2026 began in the midst of a European heatwave. On Sunday, the first conference attendees could already be spotted around the CCH Congress Center in a mix of summer wear and business dress. Over the coming days, their number would grow to more than 3,500. Waiting for them were around 200 exhibitors and a highly diverse conference program. From Monday to Friday, the CCH was a constant hive of activity – fortunately in well air-conditioned halls.
As in previous years, the Jülich Supercomputing Centre was impossible to miss. The updated JUPITER stood in the foyer prominently showcasing the milestone Jülich had reached since last year’s ISC: Exascale has arrived to Europe.
TOP500 Confirms: JUPITER Remains No. 1 in Europe
Since SC25, the North American counterpart to ISC, JUPITER has been one of the few supercomputers worldwide capable of delivering at least one exaFLOP of computing performance per second – and the first to do so in Europe. The TOP500 list, announced at ISC, confirmed its position: fifth in the world, first in Europe and, moreover, the most energy-efficient system in its performance class.
The striking lightning-bolt logo at the JSC booth was an even greater eye-catcher this year, drawing numerous visitors together with a range of exhibits and interactive tools. Conversations got underway almost immediately, revealing early on just how strong the interest is in the new scientific and technological opportunities opened up by JUPITER and in the future of modern HPC infrastructures. The focus was less on the system’s technical specifications (along the lines of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 calculations per second) than on the question of how the exceptional performance of an exascale computer can be put to practical use. Topics such as cooling and energy efficiency, memory concepts, scaling large applications across multi-superchip systems, as well as distributed GPU computing and communication between nodes shaped the discussions at the stand throughout the conference.
A Common Thread Throughout ISC: Hybrid Computing Infrastructures
The other areas of the stand were equally popular, including the LLview monitor, which displayed the utilization of all computing systems, including JUPITER, in real time. Once visitors arrived, they tended to stay – there was plenty to discuss. One topic in particular stood out: how high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and quantum computing can be brought together in shared infrastructures. This common thread ran throughout the entire ISC – from the exhibition floor and conference program to the many networking opportunities.
At the joint GCS stand, the JSC area once again quickly became a focal point for anyone interested in quantum computing, just as it did last year. Numerous technical discussions with visitors from academia and industry, as well as with partners including D-Wave, Pasqal, eleQtron and IQM, revolved around the future of hybrid HPC and quantum infrastructures, technological innovations and the new opportunities for collaboration they create. The new “Meet the Expert” format, which allowed visitors to strike up informal conversations directly at the stand, was also very well received.
JSC at ISC: Active Across Three Exhibition Stands and the Conference Program
At the EuroHPC stand, JSC contributed to a range of European HPC, AI and quantum computing initiatives. JSC Director Kristel Michielsen provided insights into the European quantum projects HPCQS and QEC4QEA while placing them in the broader context of current developments in quantum computing, particularly with regard to Jülich’s quantum computing infrastructure, JUNIQ. Other JSC colleagues presented the JUPITER AI Factory (JAIF) as well as new initiatives such as HPC-TRAIN.
One highlight that easily went unnoticed was the NHR Sofa Talk, “Teaching with Quantum Computers”. Held amidst the bustle of the exhibition directly in front of the NHR stand, it almost felt like a spontaneous gathering. JSC Director Thomas Lippert succeeded in creating an open yet focused atmosphere by actively involving the panelists in the discussion. For the audience, this created the impression of an immediate and engaging exchange between experts that remains memorable.
A Broad Range of Contributions to the Conference Program
Close to the exhibition area, JSC experts contributed their expertise to numerous workshops, poster sessions and community formats. Topics ranged from HPC software and infrastructures to sustainability, emerging architectures, quantum computing and AI. Across BoFs, workshops and poster sessions, key questions shaping today’s HPC landscape came into focus – from user support and software to system architectures, scientific applications and innovative hybrid infrastructures.
Within the System Architecture & Hardware Components track, Estela Suarez played a key role as Area Chair. She organized an invited session on on-chip networks and chairs the panel “Advanced Memory Architecture“, where experts from academia and industry discussed current developments and challenges in future HPC system architectures. The BoF “A European HPC Ecosystem for AI: Challenges and Opportunities“, featuring among others Mathis Bode, was equally well received, providing ample opportunity to discuss how new user communities can be reached, services made more visible and the distinct profiles of the AI Factories further strengthened.
The BoF “Rethinking HPC User Support for the AI and Exascale Era“, organized for the first time by Thomas Breuer and Ilya Zhukov, attracted a particularly large audience and developed into a lively discussion on the future of user support. Sebastian Achilles’ EESSI session – following his tutorial on the same topic earlier in the week – also drew considerable interest.
In the field of quantum computing, the BoF “Quantum Classical Hybridization: Where Quantum Fits in the Continuum“, led by Carlos Gonzalez, highlighted the strong interest in hybrid HPC and quantum approaches. The discussion focused in particular on questions of integration and scheduling concepts.
Beyond these sessions, the JSC program reflected the breadth of the conference as a whole. Contributions on emerging architectures such as RISC-V, the continued development of the JUNIQ infrastructure, benchmarking approaches and the design of future HPC and AI infrastructures – including work related to the JUPITER AI Factory – complemented the program and addressed many of the key topics shaping the future of the field.
Meeting Tomorrow’s Challenges Together
By the end of ISC, one thing was clear: JSC left with many of the same questions from the start. What will the future of scientific computing look like? What roles will exascale systems, artificial intelligence and quantum computing play, and how can these technologies be combined to create powerful, future-ready research infrastructures?
After a week of intensive discussions, valuable insights and rewarding exchanges with partners from academia and industry, one conclusion stood out: these questions can only be answered together. JSC left Hamburg with some answers already in hand – and with many new ideas and impulses for the future. Thank you, ISC26, for once again providing a vibrant forum for discussion, collaboration and exchange, and for demonstrating just how essential both professional and personal interaction remain for the HPC community.
Source: JSC

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