Supercomputers and AI: Accelerating Space Exploration on the ISS (17th January 2023)

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and NASA have collaborated to put a commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) supercomputer aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The ultimate goal?

Prove the technology’s ability to operate in the harsh conditions of space while performing data center-level computer processing at the edge.

On Tuesday the 17th January we’re really excited to have Dr Ben Bennett from Hewlett Packard Enterprises to present, discuss and answer your difficult questions on how supercomputing is accelerating space exploration with the first ever in-space commercial edge computing and Artificial Intelligence capabilities on the International Space Station.

Ben will be talking about the shift in mindset at NASA from designing computers that do not fail to computers that fail safely and what that means to the economics of space flight. This will be illustrated with examples from Apollo 11 & Apollo 13 and how the mission to Mars will have to be managed differently, both from a transit and habitation model.

Ben will also lift the lid on HPE’s Spaceborne Computers 1 & 2 that have been – and are currently providing – ‘supercomputing’ resources in the ISS.

He’ll talk about application areas, NASA’s missions, and the problems of ‘servicing’ systems in space.

He’ll also look at some upcoming projects that are supporting Artemis as well as how the DSKY and AGC mentality will drive astronaut/computer interfaces.

About our speaker

Dr Ben Bennett, Director, HPC & AI Strategic Programs, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Ben is a High Performance Computing & AI Strategist and evangelist working in the EMEA Organization, based out of the UK.

In this role Ben focusses on the three to five-year horizon aligning customers’ requirements to long range product plans, working with customers and their stakeholders to ensure the benefits and requirements of future technologies are being planned for.

Ben also works with HPE’s global spaceborne team and is the lead for activities withing EMEA, from designing ground launch control systems to sponsoring access to the ISS National Lab, enabling customers to run experiments in space.

Ben has over 35 years supercomputing experience in academia and industry both as a supplier and purchaser of large High-Performance Computers.

Ben holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and a PhD in Control Engineering looking at data structures in real-time parallel control systems used in flight control systems.