An Analysis on the Adoption of High-Performance Computing (HPC): A Case of Zimbabwe State Universities

The advancement in processor technology has led to the speedup of computing. However, limitations remain in the processing of complex nondeterministic polynomial (NP) computing tasks such as financial forecasting, weather forecasting, etc. These tasks are traditionally solved using stochastic methods. To address these lengthy run-times, the NP research community has turned to High-Performance Computing (HPC). Zimbabwe has not been left out as the country recently acquired an HPC facility. However, usage statistics from the ZCHPC facility show that there is a low uptake by academics from Zimbabwe institutes of higher learning. In this paper, we investigate the factors affecting the low uptake of HPC among academics. Furthermore, we propose an adoption strategy that increases the usage of HPC. The investigation is conducted through the lens of the Diffusion of Innovations Theory based on a Case study research design. A qualitative methodology was used where interviews were conducted with a purposively sampled cohort who voluntarily participated in the research. The researcher also took part in training and workshops to observe the phenomenon of interest. The findings revealed that universities are eager to adopt HPC but lack of awareness and complexity in learning the technology are a major barrier. The ZCHPC is recommended to hold more workshops, training and seminars on the importance of HPC in research advancement.