Beyond the hype: HPC, AI and Quantum in the real world
Thursday, June 25, 2026 2:20 PM to 2:40 PM · 20 min. (Europe/Berlin)
Hall H, Booth L01 - Ground Floor
HPC Solutions Forum
AI FactoriesDevelopment of HPC SkillsEnergy Efficiency and SustainabilityIntegration of Quantum Computing and HPCSystem and Performance Monitoring
Information
How E4 Computer Engineering is navigating the convergence of three technological revolutions.
The high-performance computing landscape is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades. Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we design and use HPC infrastructure, energy constraints are forcing a fundamental rethink of what "performance" even means, and quantum computing is moving, quietly but concretely, from laboratory curiosity to practical tool.
At E4 Computer Engineering, we are living this transformation daily, and this talk shares what we are actually seeing on the ground.
On HPC in an AI-driven world, the central mistake organisations make is treating AI as just another workload to run on existing infrastructure. The reality is more disruptive: AI-native architectures demand a fundamental rethink of how compute, storage, and networking are designed together. At E4, we have learned that the organisations succeeding are those converging HPC rigour - deterministic performance, reliability, and deep tuning - with the flexibility and data-centricity that AI workloads require. Private AI and data sovereignty are not obstacles to this evolution; they are, increasingly, its driving force. Enterprises and research institutions alike are demanding full control over their models, their data, and their infrastructure. This is where on-premises HPC, far from becoming obsolete, is finding a powerful new relevance.
On energy and sustainability, the uncomfortable truth is that the AI boom has made this the defining infrastructure challenge of our time. In 2025, data centre expansion began straining power grids across Europe, and Italy - where E4 is based - is no exception. Our position is that maximising performance, managing power costs, and being genuinely green are not mutually exclusive goals, but they require intentional architectural choices from day one. Liquid cooling, energy-aware job scheduling, and renewable-aligned capacity planning are no longer nice-to-haves. They are competitive differentiators. The organisations that treat energy efficiency as an engineering problem, rather than a PR exercise, will build the infrastructures that last.
On quantum computing, we are past the point of asking "when will it matter?" At E4, through our participation in the QEC4QEA European Centre of Excellence alongside CINECA, the University of Padua, and the LINKS Foundation, we are already working on concrete quantum applications with measurable scientific impact.
The most honest message we can offer the ISC community is this: Quantum will not replace HPC, it will extend it. The near-term value lies in hybrid classical-quantum workflows, where Quantum processors handle specific problem classes that classical systems handle poorly. Organisations that begin building familiarity and infrastructure readiness now will have a decisive advantage when Quantum utility crosses the threshold into production.
The thread connecting all three of these areas is the same: the future belongs to organisations that architect deliberately, not reactively.
At E4, that has been our philosophy for over twenty years, and the next decade will test it like never before.
The high-performance computing landscape is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades. Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we design and use HPC infrastructure, energy constraints are forcing a fundamental rethink of what "performance" even means, and quantum computing is moving, quietly but concretely, from laboratory curiosity to practical tool.
At E4 Computer Engineering, we are living this transformation daily, and this talk shares what we are actually seeing on the ground.
On HPC in an AI-driven world, the central mistake organisations make is treating AI as just another workload to run on existing infrastructure. The reality is more disruptive: AI-native architectures demand a fundamental rethink of how compute, storage, and networking are designed together. At E4, we have learned that the organisations succeeding are those converging HPC rigour - deterministic performance, reliability, and deep tuning - with the flexibility and data-centricity that AI workloads require. Private AI and data sovereignty are not obstacles to this evolution; they are, increasingly, its driving force. Enterprises and research institutions alike are demanding full control over their models, their data, and their infrastructure. This is where on-premises HPC, far from becoming obsolete, is finding a powerful new relevance.
On energy and sustainability, the uncomfortable truth is that the AI boom has made this the defining infrastructure challenge of our time. In 2025, data centre expansion began straining power grids across Europe, and Italy - where E4 is based - is no exception. Our position is that maximising performance, managing power costs, and being genuinely green are not mutually exclusive goals, but they require intentional architectural choices from day one. Liquid cooling, energy-aware job scheduling, and renewable-aligned capacity planning are no longer nice-to-haves. They are competitive differentiators. The organisations that treat energy efficiency as an engineering problem, rather than a PR exercise, will build the infrastructures that last.
On quantum computing, we are past the point of asking "when will it matter?" At E4, through our participation in the QEC4QEA European Centre of Excellence alongside CINECA, the University of Padua, and the LINKS Foundation, we are already working on concrete quantum applications with measurable scientific impact.
The most honest message we can offer the ISC community is this: Quantum will not replace HPC, it will extend it. The near-term value lies in hybrid classical-quantum workflows, where Quantum processors handle specific problem classes that classical systems handle poorly. Organisations that begin building familiarity and infrastructure readiness now will have a decisive advantage when Quantum utility crosses the threshold into production.
The thread connecting all three of these areas is the same: the future belongs to organisations that architect deliberately, not reactively.
At E4, that has been our philosophy for over twenty years, and the next decade will test it like never before.
HPC Solutions Forum Questions
What is the best way to keep advancing HPC in an AI-driven world?What is most important: maximizing performance in a given power envelope, minimizing power costs, or being green? Do you have to choose?What results are we already seeing from quantum computing today, and what does it mean for the future?
Format
on-site
