HPC Unites Plenary

The Ground Truth: AI’s Real Impact on Science and HPC

Artificial intelligence is impacting all aspects of science. As the global scientific community embraces these tools and methods, we anticipate a potential acceleration of discovery in many areas. This prestigious international panel will discuss the implications for how people can successfully harness the immense potential of AI.

Monday, 16 November 2026

5:30–6:45 pm

McCormick Place, Room W375de

Japan

Satoshi Matsuoka

Director, RIKEN Center for Computational Science

Since April 2018, Dr. Satoshi Matsuoka has been the director of RIKEN Center for Computational Science (R-CCS), developing and hosting Japan’s flagship Fugaku supercomputer, which was the fastest supercomputer in the world in 2020 and 2021. His longtime contributions in high-performance computing systems research, as well as application of the results to create innovative leadership supercomputers, were commended with the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon by Emperor Naruhito of Japan in 2022. 

Dr. Matsuoka’s other accolades include the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), ISC, and Japan Society for Software Science and Technology Fellows; ACM Gordon Bell Prizes in 2011 and 2021; the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society (CS) Sidney Fernbach Award in 2014; and the IEEE-CS Seymour Cray Computer Engineering Award in 2022.

European Union

Evangelos (Vangelis) Floros

Head of Unit Infrastructure, EuroHPC Joint Undertaking

As the Head of Unit for Infrastructures at EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (JU), Evangelos (Vangelis) Floros oversees activities related to supercomputing infrastructure and AI Factories development. His responsibilities include the overview of system procurements, implementation of the AI Factories program, and monitoring of operational systems, as well as aspects of the EuroHPC Access Policy and, in particular, implementation of the JU’s peer-review access process. 

Floros joined the European Commission DG CNECT/C2 in 2017, where he helped establish the foundations for the JU. In 2019, he moved to the newly established EuroHPC JU to support the latter’s transition to an autonomous entity. 

Floros holds a BSc and MSc in computer science from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens with emphasis on distributed and parallel computing systems.

China

Yutong Lu

Professor, Sun Yat-sen University and Director, National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen and Guangzhou

Dr. Yutong Lu is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Sun Yat-sen University, China. She also serves as Director of the National Supercomputing Centers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Dr. Lu specializes in high-performance computing with research interests spanning advanced computer architecture, programming models, and parallel computing environments. She was the Deputy Chief Designer of the Tianhe-2 supercomputer. She currently serves as Chief Designer of the LineShine exascale supercomputer. 

Throughout her career, Dr. Lu has been dedicated to bridging HPC with major scientific and engineering applications. She has helped make advanced computing capabilities more accessible to a broader community of researchers and industry users. Dr. Lu has been recognized as an ISC and a CCF Fellow. She has also led multiple major research projects supported by the MOST and the NSFC. Her current research focuses on cutting-edge computer architectures and the convergence of advanced AI and HPC systems and applications.

United States

Darío Gil

Under Secretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. Darío Gil is Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy. His office is the nation’s largest federal sponsor of basic research in the physical sciences, supporting all 17 U.S. National Laboratories, and is responsible for programs including advanced computing, fusion, nuclear and high energy particle physics, basic energy sciences, and biological and environmental research. He is the department’s principal advisor on science and technology. Prior to his current position, Dr. Gil was IBM Senior Vice President and Director of Research, where he was responsible for one of the world’s largest and most influential corporate research labs. 

He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering “for his contributions to artificial intelligence and quantum computing” and is a globally recognized leader of the quantum industry. Under Dr. Gil’s leadership, IBM was the first company in the world to build programmable quantum computers and make them universally available through the cloud.

Dr. Gil is an inventor and an institutional innovator, the force behind the creation of the International Science Reserve, AI Alliance, MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, and the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium. He has served on the President’s Council of Science and Technology Advisors (PCAST) and on the National Science Board (NSB), where he was first member from industry to be elected chairman in 30 years. He has served on numerous boards, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), New York Academy of Sciences, Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), New York Hall of Science, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

Dr. Gil is the recipient of two honorary doctorates and received his doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jacob “Jake” Alba is an Emmy-Award-winning producer with more than 15 years of experience leading live broadcast and post-produced content across Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and the National Basketball Association. He directed and delivered live game coverage, feature programming, and post-produced franchise shows for a portfolio of professional teams for Fox Sports West, Bally Sports, and FanDuel Sports Network. His background spans season preview shows, weekly magazine shows, in-game video telestration, and documentary-style storytelling within a fast-paced live broadcast environment.

Beyond regional sports networks, Alba served as a producer consultant for SC26, creating promotional video campaigns and media workflows tailored to technical audiences. His production banner, Amigos FX, has managed commercial and documentary projects from concept through final delivery.

As moderator for “The Ground Truth: AI’s Real Impact on Science and HPC,” Alba will apply his live-broadcast skills to facilitate a direct, structured conversation among global supercomputing leaders about the practical realities, infrastructure requirements, and measurable outcomes of adopting artificial intelligence across scientific research.