Developers don’t dream of syntax, but of things working. The Status and Trends in the HPC Landscape panel at HPSF Conference, reflected exactly what the High Performance Software Foundation is here to solve: bridging messy, fragmented programming models with community-driven standards and open collaboration.
Check out this panel recap from HPSFCon moderated by Todd Gamblin, HPSF Governing Board Chair and Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Panelists:
- Dan Stanzione, Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), The University of Texas at Austin
- Heidi Poxon, AWS
- Sara Campbell, NNSA
- Jayesh Badwaik, Forschungszentrum Juelich
- Nur Fadel, CSCS
- Doug Jacobsen, Google LLC
- Mike Kiernan, Microsoft
Watch the full video here.
1. Portability
Developers want to write software once and have it run everywhere. But portability isn’t a win if it tanks performance or forces you into obscure languages. HPSF is focused on this exact pain point. Helping build programming models and standards that prioritize real-world usability, not just theoretical support.
Takeaway: Portability has to be readable, fast, and actually work. This is a key goal of HPSF working groups like Programming Models and Software Packaging.
2. Complexity kills adoption
If the model takes a bootcamp and a decoder ring to use, it won’t be user friendly. Developers need to focus on logic, not layers of abstraction. HPSF understands this, and it’s why we support simplifying onboarding and lowering the barrier to entry through open documentation and standards.
Takeaway: Clean syntax and docs aren’t nice-to-haves. They’re survival tools, and HPSF is backing that mindset.
3. Tooling is a non-negotiable
If compilers, debuggers, profilers don’t work across platforms, developers are stuck. HPSF doesn’t just talk about portability; it invests in the tooling that makes it possible, through projects like E4S.
Takeaway: If you can’t debug it, you can’t ship it. HPSF is funding and organizing toolchain work to change that.
4. Incremental adoption wins
All-or-nothing models can scare people away. HPSF promotes standards and software layers that let teams start small and scale up.
Takeaway: Gradual adoption is part of sustainable open source, and HPSF is pushing that approach.
5. Developers don’t want to worry about the backend
The model should abstract the hardware without hiding what matters. You should be able to understand performance implications without rewriting everything for every chip.
Takeaway: Expose just enough hardware detail to optimize.
6. Open standards = trust
Developers want to avoid lock-in, and open models foster community support and long-term confidence.
This is core to HPSF’s mission: reduce vendor lock-in, encourage reusable skills, and build a neutral space where devs don’t have to choose between innovation and independence.
Takeaway: Open wins. And HPSF is here to make it work.
Conclusion
In the end, developers want models that make sense, play nice with their existing stack, and don’t punish them for daring to care about performance. Make it portable, intuitive, open, and well-tooled or developers won’t want to invest in using.
Want to get involved with HPSF? Whether you’re building software or shaping standards, there’s a place for you in the High Performance Software Foundation community. Check out working groups, contribute to open projects, or join us at future events to help push the ecosystem forward.