Abstract
High performance computing (HPC) is widely recognized as a key enabling technology for advancing scientific progress, industrial competitiveness, national and regional security, and the quality of human life. Notwithstanding this contribution, the large upfront investment and technical expertise required has limited the adoption of HPC to large organizations, government bodies, and third level institutions. Recent advances in cloud computing and telecommunications have the potential to overcome the historical issues associated with HPC through increased flexibility and efficiency, and reduced capital and operational expenditure. This study seeks to advance the literature on technology adoption and assimilation in the under-examined HPC context through a mixed methods approach. Firstly, the determinants of cloud computing adoption for HPC are examined through a survey of 121 HPC decision makers worldwide. Secondly, a modified Delphi method was conducted with 13 experts to identify and prioritize critical issues in the adoption of cloud computing for HPC. Results from the quantitative phase suggest that only organizational and human factors significantly influence cloud computing adoption decisions for HPC. While security was not identified as a significant influencer in adoption decisions, qualitative research findings suggest that data privacy and security issues are an immediate and long-term concern.
Highlights
Cloud computing is one of the major emergent paradigms in information systems research and practice
The extant research is largely technical in nature and focused on evaluating the potential of different cloud platforms and determining which high performance computing (HPC) applications the cloud represents a viable solution for [14,20]. While these studies have enhanced our technical understanding of the potential of cloud computing in the HPC context, there is a dearth of research which explores the factors involved in influencing initial decisions to adopt cloud computing for HPC
The study incorporates Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) with Human-Organization-Technology Fit (HOT-fit) theories to provide a holistic view of determinants of cloud computing adoption for HPC
Summary
Cloud computing is one of the major emergent paradigms in information systems research and practice. In highly complex and under researched contexts such as high performance computing (HPC), there is a need for research that elucidates the role of the various organizational, technological, environmental, and human factors. HPC-oriented problems are typically computationally and data intensive simulation and analytics problems [12]. Such advanced computing is costly in terms of upfront capital investment and direct and indirect operational expenditure as HPC requires significant energy and expertise to operate [10]. A 2015 IDC report for the European Commission highlights the importance of HPC: “The use of high performance computing (HPC) has contributed significantly and increasingly to scientific progress, industrial competitiveness, national and regional security, and the quality of human life. HPC is important for national and regional economies—and for global ICT collaborations in which Europe participates—because HPC, called supercomputing, has been firmly linked to accelerating innovation” [12]
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