From 10 to 14 September 2018, the VIII International Conference “Distributed Computing and Grid-technologies in Science and Education” was held in the Laboratory of Information Technologies JINR. Issues related to the use of distributed computing in various areas of science, education, industry and business, the current status of grid-systems and the future role of distributed and cloud computing, supercomputers, big data in Russia and in the world were considered in plenary and session reports of the Conference. In the frames of the Conference, the International School “Scientific computing, Big data analytics and machine learning technology for megascience projects” was held in which students, post-graduate students and young scientists participated.

JINR Director Academician V.A. Matveev opened the Conference and introduced to participants the present state and the strategy of development of the Joint Institute until 2030.

The first plenary report “JINR Multifunctional Information and Computing Complex: Status and Perspectives” was delivered by LIT Director V.V. Korenkov who gave comments to Dubna journalists:

– The first conference “Grid in science and education” was held in 2008. It was when the idea of grid-technologies was just emerging, when scientists began to discuss the computer infrastructure of the Large Hadron Collider, which was oriented at grid-technologies. We organized that first conference as a bridge between technologies developed on the West and their spread in Russia. Nobody from Russia has ever come to participate in large-scale conferences on grid-technologies in which we take part. To be providers of these technologies we invite specialists from the leading Western centres and as many as possible representatives of the scientific and educational community of Russia. Thus, this conference has been fulfilling its task all these years.

Many things have changed since then. We have started to use cloud computing, heterogeneous supercomputer applications, big data analysis, and started integration of different areas in the construction of major infrastructures, especially for large-scale megaprojects, for the digital economy and other socially important tasks. Nowadays, this area is widely discussed: use of the most advanced systems of grid calculation and big data analysis in the social and economic fields. Of course, we work at the nuclear physics centre and nuclear physics technologies are the key ones. However, those technologies we are going to talk about can be applied for many purposes. For example, machine learning, big data analysis that are being actively developed now in Russia and abroad, and we try to promote these technologies and keep an eye on what is developed in other centres.

As usual, we hold the school in the frames of the conference. This year, 40 students not only from Russia but also from some JINR Member States were invited to participate. The best IT-specialists will give review reports, run workshops and practical lessons. I think that after the school students will be inspired by these lessons, by communication they will have during this week. The programme is varied, many our friends gather at the conference. That is why we always properly prepare to our leading conference with pleasure. We hold two other large-scale conferences outside JINR. They have their own peculiarities, but this one is our favourite. Its founders were the Moscow State University, the St. Petersburg State University and JINR. We, namely one of the MSU representatives Vladimir V. Voevodin, Vyacheslav A. Ilyin from MSU SINP and Head of the Computer Centre of the SpBSU Valery I. Zolotarev, met in 2003 to discuss the concept of the conference. Since then, we adhere to it. One of the major characteristics of the conference is a good combination of experienced experts and the creative youth. It is our credo. That is why we invite many young participants, who deliver reports, and students, who hear the lectures and gain experience.

One of the founders of this conference V.V. Voevodin (MSU Computational Research Centre):

– This conference is held in the place where people work with grid-technologies. When I need to learn something about the current status, I address to Vladimir V. Korenkov or to his colleagues as far as everything they do here is at the advanced level, as it should be. When we have tasks concerning big data, I again address here, because it is a place where specialists work.

Interview with other participants of the Conference is available in the issue #37 of the JINR Weekly Newspaper.

Photos by Igor Lapenko, JINR Scientific Information Department