CERN openlab at the European Strategy for Particle Physics Meeting in Venice

Last week, CERN openlab took part in the European Strategy for Particle Physics (ESPP) 2026 update meeting held in Venice from 23 to 27 June. The event brought together experts from across the global high-energy physics (HEP) community to shape the long-term roadmap for the field.

Maria Girone, head of CERN openlab, presented the summary of discussions from the Computing track within the Facilities Working Group (Maria Girone, Giovanni Iadarola, Gonzalo Merino, and Sinead Ryan). The talk highlighted key themes emerging from the community’s contributions, including:

  • the evolution of processor architectures,
  • integration of high-performance computing (HPC) in HEP,
  • sustainability and energy efficiency,
  • development of AI facilities,
  • specialized analysis infrastructures,
  • and interdisciplinary collaboration with industry.
Maria Girone, head of CERN openlab, presenting the Facilities WG Report.

CERN openlab’s long standing impact was also recognized during the meeting’s opening session, with CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti highlighting its significant contributions to CERN’s activities over the past 20 years.

Fabiola Gianotti presenting at the ESPP 2026 update opening session.

CERN openlab was also featured in Tommaso’s Boccali talk on ‘Computing in HEP: how we got here and needs for the next decade’, highlighting the initiative between CERN openlab and WLCG for high-performance computing integration in high-energy physics.

You can read the white paper on ‘Strategy for HPC Integration in WLCG/HEP’ here: https://zenodo.org/records/15032799 

Tommaso Boccali’s presentation at the ESPP 2026 Update Meeting in Venice.