2nd BoF – Agriculture Empowered by Supercomputing

Tuesday, 19 November 2024

17:15pm – 18:45pm EST

Location – Room B213

Link to SC24

Submission to SC24 – Atlanta, GA – US – November 2024

Abstract (Max 100 words)

Agriculture worldwide is facing massive challenges in production, distribution, pollution reduction, food security and waste: In a $4 trillion global food production industry, less than 40% of any crop is actually marketed. The farm, the oldest human-engineered system, produces the vast majority of human sustenance and consumes the majority of global freshwater. Its efficient operation is crucial – particularly when supply chains are disrupted by wars and pandemics. This 2nd BoF will discuss how novel supercomputing technologies, AI and related distributed heterogeneous systems could empower the primary sector and, as a result, stop operating in a needlessly fragile and inefficient way.

(100 words).

Long Description (Max 500 words)

Agriculture is a sector facing massive challenges in production, distribution, pollution reduction, and food waste: less than 40% of any crop is actually marketed and of all food produced 35%-50% is wasted. The farm, the oldest human-engineered system, produces the vast majority of human sustenance and consumes the majority of global freshwater. In an era of looming food insecurity, water shortages and environmental stresses, the farm’s efficient operation is of vital importance -particularly when supply chains are disrupted by wars and pandemics. Yet agriculture has not substantially benefited from state-of-the-art IT and related systems, and as a result continues to operate in a needlessly fragile and inefficient way. Following the very successful initial meeting @SC23 this 2nd edition will discuss how novel supercomputing technologies, AI and related distributed heterogeneous systems could empower agriculture and dramatically change its value chain and production processes.

Goals

  • Expose the HPC community to the challenges and opportunities that the agricultural sector and related industries present today and in the future.
  • Present HPC as part of a solution to complex interactions between e.g. climate change and adaptation; weather forecasting and high resolution climate models; financial and commodities markets; trade, supply chain and transportation; new algorithms and data science; plant breeding and genomics research; all intertwined with the strategic and operational decisions to be made at the farm.
  • Interest professionals from the primary sector in the HPC community.
  • Through the BoF content posted online, attract end-users (farmers, corporations, governments), who are not necessarily familiar with how supercomputing could empower the sector.
  • Involve indigenous knowledge and challenge technology colonisation while discussing modular solutions adaptable to local conditions.

Core Topic

At first glance, maybe IoT-sensors-edge computing and HPC seem opposites. However, big-data analysis, data-driven simulation and modelling, in-situ data reduction, AI/ML, GenAI, and even parallel programming models might tightly link very intelligent edge devices and HPC. This BoF brings together several experts in this new domain and discuss these questions:

* How will multicore edge devices be programmed and maintained in a challenging farm environment?

* Can AI/ML models for HPC be adapted for IoT/edge? 

* What novel, low-power hardware can be deployed in the field?
* Is there room for hardware-software co-design at scale to benefit both communities? 

* What software technologies from large systems will be transferred to IoT and HPC? 

* How will IoT sensors and HPC simulations be coupled?

 Relevance to HPC audience

* Any HPC expert in the fields of weather forecasting, climate modelling, complex systems simulations (being equipment, digital twins, applications) as well as biology, genetics, etc, will find this BoF interesting.

* Researchers in hardware and software, particularly in I/O, networking, communication within distributed systems, OS, AI, ML, edge computing.

* Professionals caring about power consumption, sustainability, cybersecurity, and projects that can modularly scale from a single user (e.g. individual farm) to large environments (whole catchment, state, nation-wide deployments).

Background

Very successful 1st BoF @SC23: 90+ delegates actively participated with 8-10 delegates queuing for the microphone during the interactive side of the session.

(499 words)

Description of the session format (Max 150 words)

BoF session will be very interactive: 

Part 1 (30%) – Four invited panellists will introduce their area of expertise highlighting how Agriculture will be empowered by Supercomputing. 

Part 2 (25%) – Panellists will exchange ideas in a moderated debate, with questions from the audience. 

Part 3 (35%) – Panellists and guests from the audience will interact in a fishbowl panel exchange -moderated.

Part 4 (10%) – Moderator will facilitate a conclusion from the participants.

Part 5 (0%) – All delegates will discuss/propose/vote the best way to follow up via the LinkedIn group: e.g. continue with the BoF format, discuss the feasibility of an online community, formalise some subset areas toward a workshop proposal for next year, organise regular online meet ups, how to reach larger portions of end-users, and other options.

(150 words).

  • Speakers and slides for the 2nd BoF @SC24
  • Mary-Francis LaPorte – Slides
SC24-LaPorte-HPCinAg-BoFDownload
  • Speakers and slides from 1st BoF @SC23 here