SC25 Insights: Trends Impacting Technology Investments in 2026

The SC25 conference in St. Louis attracted 16,500 attendees and 560 exhibitors, underscoring the rapid advancements in computational engineering and scientific discovery, particularly for organizations aiming to accelerate product development. Attendees focused on actionable insights into AI and high-performance computing (HPC), with significant growth in the HPC+AI sector, driven by AI-accelerated workflows and substantial government and private sector investments. Discussions highlighted the transition of AI physics methods from research to production, emphasizing their integration with traditional simulation methods to enhance innovation. The event also spotlighted the increasing role of agentic AI and autonomous workflows in engineering, requiring robust data foundations for effective deployment. The public sector's commitment to cloud infrastructure for R&D was emphasized, signaling its strategic value. The conference stressed the importance of hybrid cloud strategies, integrating both cloud and on-premises resources, to optimize engineering workloads. As industries plan for 2026, a focus on data intelligence, AI automation, and strategic cloud adoption is recommended to maintain competitive advantage.