The Evolution of Computing Hardware in High-Energy Physics

The computing requirements of modern high-energy physics experiments necessitate significant investments in distributed data processing and storage solutions, and the international nature of large collaborations requires global coordination and innovation to deliver them. This talk will begin with a brief overview of the evolution of computing hardware in HEP from approximately 2000 to the present, with a focus on the increasing computational challenges of each generation of experiments and on the infrastructure developed to support them. The talk will then move to the current state of computing in the field and the current mix of hardware in use, the systems in place to manage it all, and conclude with a discussion of future trends in computing hardware in HEP. In recent years, High Performance Computing centers, especially Exascale machine and those offering a large amount of GPU resources, have become increasingly prevalent, and require some adaptations in the HEP ecosystem to utilize them effectively. Distributed, high-bandwidth storage systems are also vital for modern HEP experiments, which in turn require robust networking infrastructure. We will also touch on the rise of international coordination bodies for computing, such as those set up for the Large Hadron Collider, and the growing need for international coordination and cooperation in delivering the necessary resources without overextending the resource and buedgetary capacity of any one country.