From 3 to 5 December, Sling Days, the largest supercomputing conference in Slovenia, took place in Ljubljana Organised in cooperation with Mreža znanja, the event attracted more than 750 visitors from Slovenia and other European countries
Many companies are still unaware of the potential opportunities offered by supercomputing. Supercomputing enables companies to become more innovative, productive and able to develop higher value-added products and services, thus helping them to maintain a competitive edge.
As a central support hub, the National Competence Centre SLING (NCC SLING) provides companies with access to computing infrastructure and expert support. One of NCC SLING’s key priorities is to raise awareness and promote the use of supercomputing and artificial intelligence in business. These topics are carefully communicated to users through training sessions and events such as the three-day Sling Days conference.
Representatives of Slovenian Companies Share Their Experiences with Supercomputing
The final day of the Sling Days conference was rich in content and focused on the use of supercomputing in industry. The event brought together experts, companies and organisations that are actively using HPC and artificial intelligence to innovate and gain a competitive edge.
Representatives from Slovenian companies AformX, Flai, HiSense-Gorenje, Culmium, Procesni Inženiring, Elaphe and Braintrip shared their practical experience in using HPC and AI in various industrial sectors such as aerospace, automotive, medicine, manufacturing and geotechnics. Attendees learned how supercomputing capabilities are being used to develop innovative products, improve processes and optimise business operations. In addition, the speakers offered valuable advice for companies considering the adoption of these technologies.
SLING partners – IZUM, Arctur and the Jožef Stefan Institute – demonstrated how key partners provide companies with access to supercomputing infrastructure, including the VEGA and ARCTUR supercomputers, and explained the opportunities for collaboration within the SLING network. Special emphasis was placed on the presentation of free services such as training and the development of proof-of-concept projects.
Artificial intelligence at the centre of the conference
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a central theme in the world of technology, and it featured prominently in the conference programme. Representatives from AI4SI and ZIT-GZS presented the most important updates in the latest version of the guide for the implementation of AI in companies. Special attention was given to generative AI (GenAI) and practical steps that companies can take to adapt to the rapid development of artificial intelligence.
In the final sessions of the day, experts from Ansys-Simtec, Advant and Asbis – Supermicro highlighted the importance of energy efficiency in data centres and future trends towards greater energy optimisation. They presented hardware and datacentre optimisation strategies, as well as specialist simulation and analysis software used by engineers in the design process.
The programme concluded with two workshops: Adapting the Slovenian LLM to the SLING infrastructure, led by experts from the Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana. Data Learning and Using the Internal AI Assistant (AILA), organised by the company Creaplus.
The event was exceptionally well received, demonstrating the growing interest in supercomputing as a critical pillar for industrial innovation and the future of the Slovenian economy.
Video recordings from the event will be available in the coming days.
