Hans Meuer

Dr. Hans Meuer was a seminal figure in HPC, renowned for his foundational HPC community contributions. He was the co-founder and organizer of the first Mannheim Supercomputer Conference in 1986, which later became the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) in 2001. Held annually, ISC brings together supercomputing experts from around the world and has grown to be one of the premier events in the HPC calendar. 

In addition to acting as the general chair for ISC, Meuer co-founded the TOP500 list of supercomputers alongside Erich Strohmaier, Horst Simon, and Jack Dongarra in 1993. The TOP500 list ranks the world’s most powerful systems and has become a crucial benchmark for assessing computational performance while heavily influencing the direction of HPC research and development. 

Meuer’s career can be characterized by his dedication to furthering the reach and scope of supercomputing. He was managing director of Prometeus GmbH, the company who runs ISC, from 1998-2013. As a professor of mathematics and computer science at the University of Mannheim beginning in 1974, Meuer also played a pivotal role in educating and mentoring the next generation of HPC experts. 

Though he passed away in 2014, Hans Meuer’s legacy includes not only the institutions and benchmarks he established but also the ongoing impact of his vision and leadership in the HPC community.