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.
The Great Hall at Wits University
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 recently expanded into international competitions.
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.
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, Russa, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and others). It began in 2012, with 27 universities, and has grown quickly since. Up until this year, a cumulative 10 000+ undergraduate students from 350+ universities have taken part.
The competition itself puts students in a position to tackle industry standard benchmarks, such as HPL and HPCG, as well as optimise cutting edge scientific applications. This year, Google Deepminds’s Alphafold3 (Nobel Prize 2024) inference optimisation, Deepseek-AI’s Deepseek R1 inference optimisation, Cern’s Geant4, and the development of a RNA m5C site detection pipeline are on the table!
The competition consists of 2 stages; the preliminary stage (which is online, from each team’s respective home university), and the final round. Wits HPC is proud to say we were among the top 25 teams in this stage, and have qualified to advance to the final round, which is hosted in Xining, China, this year, at Qinghai University.
ASC24 Student Cluster Competition: Who Won and Why?
HPCwire covers the latest results of the ASC24 Student Cluster Competition, highlighting the winners and key insights.
Read MoreMeet the Team
From Egoli, the City of Gold, we have Wits HPC, who have earned their place among the 25 finalists of the ASC, standing out from hundreds of teams worldwide.
The 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, writing papers, and engaging in outreach. Most of the team members have competed in other Student Cluster Competitions, both locally and internationally, and are ready to showcase their skills once again.
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. His expertise will be invaluable in guiding the team through this competition.
From left to right: Lily de Melo, Sefora Kapenga, Jonathan Faller, Reinhard Jansen van Vuuren, Talhah Patelia, Prof. Ling Cheng
The team composition is as follows:
- Prof. Ling Cheng (Advisor)
- Talhah Patelia, BSc (Eng) Information, YOS 3
- Reinhard Jansen van Vuuren, BSc (Eng) Information, YOS 3 (Captain)
- Jonathan Faller, BSc (Eng) Information, YOS 4
- Sefora Kapenga, BSc Computer Science, YOS 3
- Lily de Melo, BSc Computer Science, YOS 3
The Journey
Travel from South Africa to China
The team is scheduled to depart on May 7th and will compete from May 8th to May 14th at Qinghai University, recognized as one of China’s leading institutions for its state-of-the-art research in science and technology. They plan to leave the country on May 18th. The team seeks assistance in finalizing visas and plane tickets; however, all other expenses will be covered by the ASC Organisers, including accommodation during the competition, hardware, and meals.
Qinghai University
Why Sponsor Us?
What other reasons do you need, besides our great South African accents and distinct personalities? On a more serious note, our students have worked tirelessly and shown immense passion in elevating the HPC student space in South Africa. Sponsoring Wits HPC means supporting the next generation of HPC industry professionals and investing in future talent.
By sponsoring Wits HPC, your company gains visibility and aligns itself with a proven track record of excellence in HPC & AI education and performance. And we don’t just talk the talk — we walk the walk. Over the past 10 years, we’ve proven our excellence:
- 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 being from Wits HPC
- The first standalone African university to compete at Virtual ISC'25 and ASC'25 (hopefully with your help!)
Wits University's Success at Local and International Student Cluster Competitions
In return for your support, we’re eager to share our experience with you:
| Donation Amount | Sharing Our Experience with You* |
|---|---|
| Corporate | |
| R30,000 ($1,600) |
|
| R20,000 ($1,070) |
|
| R15,000 ($800) |
|
| R10,000 ($530) |
|
| R5,000 ($270) |
|
| Enthusiast | |
| R3,000 ($160) |
|
| R2,000 ($110) |
|
| R1,000 ($55) |
|
| Casual | |
| Under R1,000 (Under $55) |
|
And for our top donors we have something:
| Top Donor Rank | Sharing Our Experience with You* |
|---|---|
| Top Donor | Naming Rights for 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 |
*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.
BackaBuddy
The team will be raising funds through BackaBuddy, a crowdfunding platform based in Africa. Upon completion, the 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 - though it might not be the full amount.
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Second Life: Enabling a Student Special Interest Group through Decommissioned HPC Systems
Michael Beukman, Sayfullah Jumoorty, Jonathan Luke Faller, Eugene de Beste, and Bryan Johnston present insights on leveraging decommissioned HPC systems to empower student engagement in HPC research and competitions.
Read MoreFrom Student SIG to Success: The Journey of a Student HPC Special Interest Group
Bryan Johnston, Lara Timm, David Macleod, John Poole, Lily de Melo, Sayfullah Jumoorty, Jonathan Faller, Reinhard Jansen van Vuuren, and Michael Beukman discuss the evolution of a student HPC special interest group and its impact on training and competition success.
Read More