Why We’re Heading to Supercomputing 2025

With the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC), infrastructure refresh cycles have shortened to just 3 to 5 years in many environments. It’s a shift that’s changing how enterprises think about performance, scale, and sustainability.

And it’s raising questions that don’t get enough attention: What happens to aging systems? Where do those assets go? Who’s responsible?

That’s why we’re heading to Supercomputing 2025 (SC25), the world’s largest HPC and AI infrastructure conference, happening this November in St. Louis. 

We’ll be there to spotlight the full lifecycle of HPC hardware and why strategic disposition should be part of every infrastructure plan.

The Rapid Pace of Innovation in HPC & AI

AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) are changing how industries operate.

Generative AI models and large scientific simulations are pushing systems to their limits. This is driving huge demand for advanced infrastructure: powerful GPU clusters, faster networks, and large-scale storage.

Here are the key trends driving this acceleration:

Rising Demand for GPUs and Accelerators

Generative AI has created a surge in demand for high-performance GPUs and AI chips. Each new generation is faster and more efficient, which pushes organizations to upgrade more often to stay competitive.

Higher Data Center Density and Power Needs

AI and HPC clusters are raising rack power from about 5–15 kW per rack to 50–100 kW or more. This is forcing data centers to rethink power, cooling, and physical space.

Shorter Hardware Refresh Cycles

Servers that once stayed in use for 7–10 years are now being replaced every 3–5 years, sometimes even faster in AI-heavy environments. More hardware is moving through the cycle more often.

Growing Data and Workloads

Scientific models, real-time analytics, and AI training produce massive amounts of data, which require faster storage, bandwidth, and bigger infrastructure.

Because this fast pace is shortening refresh timelines, organizations can’t only plan for buying and installing new systems. They also have to think about how to use their hardware effectively, when and how to retire it safely, and how to recover value from equipment they no longer need while handling the rest responsibly.

The Hardware Investment Surge

The global high-performance computing (HPC) market is expected to grow from 57 billion dollars in 2024 to 87.3 billion dollars by 2030.

Companies are no longer building slowly over time. They are making large and fast investments to keep up with the growing demands of AI and HPC workloads.

This surge brings both opportunities and challenges:

• Opportunity: Bigger and more powerful systems are helping organizations work faster and explore new ideas. They are gaining an edge in research, AI, and data-driven projects.
• Challenge: These investments are also speeding up refresh cycles, increasing costs, and creating more retired hardware that needs to be handled safely and responsibly.

This fast build-up is changing how leaders think about infrastructure. It is not only about building stronger systems anymore. It is also about planning what happens to them next. 

That is a conversation we expect to see at the center of Supercomputing 2025 (SC25).

The Lifecycle Challenge: Beyond Procurement

More than one in four small and midsize businesses are still throwing old hardware into landfills or disposing of it improperly.

Many companies focus on what to buy next. They plan carefully for new systems but overlook what happens to the equipment they are replacing. As refresh cycles get faster, this gap is becoming harder to ignore.

Infrastructure does not end with installation. It moves through a full lifecycle:

Procurement → Deployment → Utilization → Retirement → IT Asset Disposition (ITAD)

When end-of-life planning is missing, serious risks build up. Old systems can leave behind sensitive data. Unused equipment can pile up and become e-waste. Organizations also lose the chance to recover dollar value from old hardware.

Planning for the full lifecycle is no longer optional. When strategies stop at hardware procurement, they leave half of the journey unmanaged. That is where the real risks begin.

Our Focus at SC25: ITAD for HPC Hardware

At Supercomputing 2025 (SC25), we are discussing what happens at the end of the hardware lifecycle.

High-performance computing environments move fast. New systems are deployed, scaled up, and replaced more quickly than ever. Without a plan for retiring old equipment, organizations face rising risks and missed opportunities. That is where IT asset disposition (ITAD) becomes essential.

Our work in this space centers around three things:

• Data security: Certified data erasure and decommissioning to protect sensitive information.
• Sustainability: Responsible recycling, resale, and extending the life of existing hardware to cut e-waste.
• Economics: Recovering value from retired equipment to lower costs and fund new investments.

We are also R2v3-certified, which means our processes meet strict standards for data security, worker safety, environmental responsibility, and transparent downstream recycling. 

At SC25, we will show how planning for these end-of-life stages supports sustainable infrastructure strategies.

Supercomputing 2025: Where the Conversation Continues

The future of high-performance computing will not be measured only in speed or scale. It will also be measured in how responsibly we manage the full lifecycle of the systems that power it.

Attending SC25 gives us the chance to:

• Engage directly with the enterprises pushing the limits of HPC
• Join conversations about building infrastructure with responsibility and long-term planning in mind
• Bring back new insights and best practices to help our customers plan more confidently.

SC25 is where the industry sets its direction. Being there helps us make sure the solutions we build align with where the industry is going next.