Profile: A Life in Supercomputing

Fischer started her career in the predigital era, when computers were made of moving parts, and algorithm inputs and outputs consisted of holes punched in paper. She soon became responsible for making sure that the systems remained operational, including performing emergency repairs. “This work was very important because computers at that time were not nearly as stable as they are today,” she recalls. “From the beginning it was always vital to me to offer our users the resources they need, and to ensure that our systems ran as consistently as possible.”

At that time, this was more than a full-time job. Fischer often found herself studying circuit diagrams at her kitchen table or being summoned to the computer if a part malfunctioned. The fact that her husband was often on the road as a computer technical support specialist also meant that it was sometimes a difficult juggling act for the young mother. “When my son was still very small and there was a problem with the computer I would bring him along in a bag and set him down beside the console while I worked,” she says, remembering those times affectionately. “When he was a little older and could use a telephone, he knew that he could call me if he woke up at night.”

As Fischer’s responsibilities grew she became a department manager, which encompassed a larger range of tasks including user management, personnel management, resource management, and oversight of the infrastructure. As supercomputers steadily became more powerful and complex, she also needed to keep at least one eye focused on the future. This meant participating in the procurement of new IT systems and overseeing the infrastructure improvements that would be necessary to support them.

“It was always important to think years into the future,” Fischer explains. “You need to anticipate how performance will increase, how much physical space the systems will take up, and what other resources will be needed for their operation. And at some point, you realize that your current facility is no longer capable of meeting those needs.”

As scientific computing advanced in Stuttgart, the ISD computing systems were incorporated into the regional computing center, which then evolved into the University of Stuttgart Computing Center (RUS). With the growing workload that came with a rapidly expanding user community, Fischer eventually shifted away from operations management to concentrate on the planning of new facilities.

In 1996 the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS) was founded as a new entity, and Fischer recognized that it would require more space, higher power capacity, and as much flexibility as possible to address the unique needs of HPC users. In the years to come she wrote position papers and worked hard to persuade the relevant committees to approve construction of a new building. Without her advocacy, HLRS’s current, permanent home at Nobelstraße 19 might never have been built.

As Fischer approached retirement age in 2002, planning for the new facility was underway and she was deeply involved. Because continuity and expertise were still needed, she continued working at the center on a contractual basis to ensure that the project came to a successful completion. Even in this more limited role, however, there was no shortage of work to do. Planning a facility as complex as a high-performance computing center requires attention to countless details — from power supply, to security, to fire prevention, to the planning of comfortable workspaces, among many other considerations — and Fischer remained a key contact for planners, engineers, and construction personnel.

Even after HLRS’s new home opened in 2004, Fischer continued to oversee the numerous service contracts necessary to keep the center operating smoothly. When it became time to expand HLRS further, she oversaw the planning and construction of the building housing the center’s state-of-the-art training facility, which was inaugurated in 2017.

Despite her age Erika Fischer shows little sign of slowing down. Working together with HLRS’s Dr. Ralf Schneider, she continues to play a central role in the planning of HLRS’s next major expansion — construction of a new building called HLRS III, which will begin in early 2025. The facility will be a home to the center’s upcoming exascale supercomputer, called Herder, when it arrives in 2027. A long way from holes punched in paper, indeed.

Reflecting on her life in high-performance computing, Fischer mentions three things of which she is particularly proud: “It has been very important to me that I have been in a position to follow the development of information technology from its very beginnings. The University of Stuttgart was one of the pioneering universities, and it is wonderful to have seen what happened here. I also learned that it’s possible for an individual to achieve great things when you have reasonable goals and the determination not to give up in the face of difficulties. And finally, it has brought me joy to see that the things I have been a part of have great value to others, including scientists and others who need their computing results quickly and reliably.”

Although Fischer’s “retirement” has not been typical, it is clear that her dedication to HLRS continues to be a source of great personal motivation. “For practically my whole life, working at the University of Stuttgart has been extremely interesting,” she says. “I have had the pleasure of working with many outstanding colleagues and system users. I really can’t complain, and it is a wonderful thing when a person can say that.”

— Christopher Williams