Who is Wits HPC?

Wits HPC is a special interest group based at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, dedicated to educating students on the fundamentals of High-Performance Computing (HPC) and fostering a community of future HPC experts.

We bridge the gap between theory and practice, equipping students with real-world HPC experience. Through weekly talks, hands-on hackathons, and technical training sessions, we prepare students for competitive rounds hosted by the Centre for High-Performance Computing (CHPC) and have expanded into international competitions at the highest level.

Talks conducted at Wits University

At our core, we are a passionate group of engineering and computer science students working alongside lecturers to provide learning opportunities beyond the traditional curriculum. Whether mentoring, researching, competing, or innovating, Wits HPC is committed to pushing the boundaries of HPC education and excellence.

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What is ASC?

The world's largest supercomputing competition, the Asia Supercomputer Community (ASC) Student Supercomputer Challenge, was proposed and is organised by China in cooperation with experts and institutions from Japan, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and others. It began in 2012 with 27 universities and has grown rapidly since. To date, a cumulative 10,000+ undergraduate students from 350+ universities worldwide have taken part.

The competition puts students in a position to tackle industry-standard benchmarks such as HPL and HPCG, as well as optimise cutting-edge scientific applications — from protein folding to particle physics simulations. Teams compete across two stages: an online preliminary round at their home universities, followed by an in-person final held in China.

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Wits HPC at ASC

Wits HPC made history as the first standalone African university to compete at the ASC Student Supercomputer Challenge. Our journey to ASC is a testament to the dedication, talent, and grit of our students — competing against hundreds of universities from across the globe.

Our debut at ASC25 saw the team qualify among the top 25 finalists from the preliminary round, earning a spot at the in-person final held at Qinghai University, Xining, China in May 2025. Competing against universities with far greater resources, the Wits HPC team held their own — representing South Africa and the African continent on the world's biggest supercomputing stage.

The ASC competition challenges teams to run industry-standard HPC benchmarks and optimise real scientific workloads — skills that translate directly into careers in research computing, AI infrastructure, and data-intensive science. For Wits students, ASC is more than a competition: it is an accelerated education in world-class HPC practice.

Every year, a new generation of Wits students rises to the challenge. Browse the teams that have represented Wits HPC at ASC.

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Our Legacy

Wits HPC's track record in Student Cluster Competitions is one of the strongest in the country — and increasingly, the continent.

• 7 first-place titles at the CHPC SCC (South Africa)
• 4 first-place titles at the ISC SCC (Germany), with 52 out of 88 students selected for Team CHPC at ISC coming from Wits HPC
• The first standalone African university to compete at ASC (ASC25, Xining China)

Wits HPC's success at CHPC and ISC Student Cluster Competitions

Our published research further reflects the group's commitment to advancing HPC education:

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ASC26 — Wuxi, China

Wits HPC is heading back to ASC — and we need your support to make it happen again. Help send the next generation of Wits HPC students to China to compete against the best university HPC teams in the world.

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Meet the Team

The ASC26 team is made up of undergraduate students from the Science and Engineering faculties who have demonstrated their passion and dedication to HPC through facilitating talks, hands-on training, and competitive experience at local and international Student Cluster Competitions.

Their advisor, Prof. Ling Cheng, joined Wits University in 2010 and has made significant contributions to telecommunications and artificial intelligence. He has supervised over 50 postgraduate students, including 11 PhDs, and served as an associate editor for three journals.

The team composition is as follows:

• Prof. Ling Cheng (Advisor)
• Aatikah Sheikh, BEng Electrical Engineering, YOS 4 (Captain)
• Kellen Strydom, BEng Information Engineering, YOS 4
• Kevin Ebrahim, BSc Computer Science, YOS 3
• Vele Ethan Nefale, BEng Electrical Engineering, YOS 3
• Mubeen Dewan, BSc Computer Science, YOS 3

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The Journey

The team is scheduled to depart on May 13th and will compete at Wuxi University, Wuxi, China. They are scheduled to return on May 21st. All accommodation during the competition, hardware, and meals are covered by the ASC organisers — the team seeks assistance with travel costs and visas.

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Why Sponsor Us?

Sponsoring Wits HPC means investing in the next generation of HPC professionals from Africa. Our students compete against universities with far greater resources — your support levels the playing field and puts South Africa on the world HPC map.

We don't just talk the talk. Over the past 10 years:

• 7 first-place titles at the CHPC SCC (South Africa)
• 4 first-place titles at the ISC SCC (Germany)
• The first standalone African university to compete at ASC

In return for your support:

Donation Amount	What You Get
Naming Rights
Top Donor	Naming rights for the entire cluster
2nd Highest Donor	Naming rights for two nodes
3rd Highest Donor	Naming rights for one node
4th Highest Donor	Naming rights for one node
Community
Any Amount	Your name proudly displayed on our digital Hall of Fame on the Wits HPC website

^*All perks depend on us being able to make it to ASC. If that doesn't happen, we'll do our best to refund as much of your donation as we can — though it might not be the full amount.

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Support Us on BackaBuddy

The team is raising funds through BackaBuddy, a crowdfunding platform based in Africa. Payments will be managed by an attorney on a pro bono basis. We are committed to transparency — if we don't reach our funding goal or are unable to attend ASC, we will do our best to refund as much of your donation as possible.

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