The steering committee of the HPC (High Performance Computing) User Forum today announced that it has elected Paul Muzio as the group's next chairperson. Muzio began a two-year term on January 1, 2004, replacing steering committee chairperson Larry Davis of the DoD HPC Modernization Program, who will continue on the committee. Muzio is the support infrastructure director of the Army High Performance Computing Research Center (AHPCRC) and vice president of Network Computer Services, Inc. (NCSI), the systems integrator and computing facilities manager for the AHPCRC. The HPC User Forum was founded four years ago with the primary objective to improve the health of the global HPC industry and address issues of common concern to users. The organization has grown to 145 members worldwide. It is directed by a steering committee of users from government, industry and academia, and is operated for the users by market analyst firm IDC. "Paul Muzio has been a strong contributor to the steering committee and the HPC User Forum for the past several years," Davis said. "He will advance the User Forum's agenda, and I look forward to working with him during his term as chair." "I want to thank the steering committee for the confidence they have placed in me, Larry Davis for his leadership in making the HPC User Forum a uniquely beneficial mechanism for advancing the state of high-end computational technology, our growing contingent of members for their active participation and insights, and Earl Joseph and other IDC staff for their important involvement and support," Muzio said. "We have come a long way under Larry's leadership, but there is still much to do," he said. "We must actively engage the three key and interrelated components of the HPC community -- the users (academic, commercial, and government), the software developers (including commercial ISVs), and the HPC system vendors -- to work together to advance the state of high-end computational technology. Key to accomplishing this objective is the creation of an environment in which all members of the HPC community are comfortable in sharing concerns, ideas and solutions; jointly developing strategies for communicating the importance of the technology; and collectively promoting high-end computing technology and computational science. That is the mission of the HPC User Forum." "Larry Davis set the tone for user presentations with technical depth in U.S. and European meetings, especially on the users" first-priority topic of benchmarking and performance modeling. Paul Muzio will continue to ensure strong technical sessions as the User Forum expands its technical agenda next year," said Earl Joseph, IDC, who serves as the HPC User Forum's executive director. Muzio said all User Forum members who represent user organizations are eligible to serve on the steering committee and especially invited participation from industrial users.