Cray User Group Meeting 2025: Stony Brook University Hosts Inspiring Gathering of Research and Technology Experts

Stony Brook University proudly reflects on the success of hosting the 2025 Cray User Group (CUG) Meeting, an annual gathering of experts, researchers, and technologists at the forefront of high-performance computing (HPC). The event, held May 4-8th at the Westin Jersey City Newport hotel in New Jersey, brought together a global community to collaborate, share, and advance the capabilities of Cray systems and supercomputing innovation.

CUG 2025, attended by nearly 200 HPC specialists from around the world, marked one of the most dynamic and well-attended meetings in recent history, showcasing a rich program of technical sessions, panels, and workshops. The week-long event was energized by thought-provoking discussions and groundbreaking research presentations that reflected the rapid evolution of HPC in academia, industry, and government research.

The event was officially opened with a welcome address by Dr. Robert Harrison, Director of the Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS) at Stony Brook University. Harrison underscored the importance of collaborative innovation and the university’s commitment to advancing computational science. His remarks emphasized how CUG aligns with Stony Brook’s mission to be at the cutting edge of technological advancement and education.

A highlight of the conference was the keynote presentation by Dr. Mike Zingale, a leading figure in computational astrophysics and a professor at Stony Brook. Dr. Zingale captivated the audience with his talk on the role of supercomputing in modeling stellar explosions and astrophysical phenomena. His keynote not only showcased the extraordinary science made possible by HPC but also underscored the value of open collaboration between researchers and system developers.

A thought-provoking panel brought together leading experts to discuss the evolving role of floating-point precision in HPC and AI workloads. Panelists Bronson Messer (ORNL), Nic Malaya (AMD), Dan Ernst (NVIDIA), and Piotr Luszczek (MIT Lincoln Lab/University of Tennessee) examined the trade-offs between traditional FP64 precision and newer approaches like mixed-precision techniques and lower-precision formats. The discussion offered key insights into how performance, accuracy, and hardware constraints must be balanced in today’s increasingly complex computational environments.

The “HPE 1 on 100” session featured an exclusive conversation with Trish Damkroger, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer of HPC & AI at HPE. Reserved for HPE customers, the session offered a candid, closed-door forum to discuss strategic directions, customer needs, and future innovations in high-performance computing and AI, fostering direct engagement and insight at the executive level.

The Best Paper Award at CUG 2025 was presented to a team from the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) for their outstanding work on “Alps, a Versatile Research Infrastructure.” The paper highlighted the design and capabilities of Alps, CSCS’s next-generation HPC system, emphasizing its flexibility and performance across a range of scientific workloads. The award recognized the team's innovative approach to building a research infrastructure that meets evolving computational demands.

The CUG Night Out offered a stunning evening at Hudson Hall, where guests dined with breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Lively conversation, great food, and a vibrant atmosphere made it a perfect moment of connection and celebration amid the week’s high-performance computing focus.

The CUG meeting was also held in conjunction with the Expanding Horizons in AI with HPC Workshop, hosted on the Stony Brook campus. This event brought together experts in artificial intelligence and supercomputing to explore how these fields are increasingly working hand in hand to solve major scientific and societal challenges. Read more here

Ashley Barker, President of CUG, along with the entire CUG Board, did a remarkable job organizing CUG 2025, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience for attendees. Their leadership and dedication were instrumental in fostering meaningful connections, advancing technical dialogue, and continuing to strengthen the global HPC community.

Stony Brook University extends its deepest thanks to the Cray User Group, all presenters, attendees, and organizers for making this event an outstanding success.

At the close of CUG 2025, Sammy the Salmon, the beloved CUG mascot, was officially handed over to next year’s host site, CINES (Centre Informatique National de l’Enseignement Supérieur), continuing the tradition as the conference heads to France.

Learn more about CUG: https://cug.org/

Photo credits:  Bilel Hadri, KAUST; Maciej Cytowski, Pawsey; Ashley Barker, ORNL