From September 25 to 27, 2024, the 20th Workshop of the Institute for High Performance Computing and Networks (ICAR) of the National Research Council (CNR) took place in Pollina (PA), at the Mangia’s Pollina Resort. This annual event represented an important opportunity to review the state of research, the results achieved, and future prospects, involving experts of national and international renown.

The opening session was entrusted to Alfonso Urso, acting director of ICAR, who introduced and initiated the workshop. Following this, Emilio Fortunato Campana, director of the Department of Computer Science and Mathematics at CNR, discussed the strategies and prospects of the department, while Giuseppe De Pietro, president of the “Future Artificial Intelligence Research” (FAIR) Foundation, presented the scientific results achieved by the foundation and its future research directions.

A significant moment was dedicated to the commemoration of researcher Giandomenico Spezzano, a key figure for the Institute.

Throughout the workshop, Dr. Fabio Martinelli, the incoming director of ICAR, played a key role. Although he has not yet formally assumed the position, Martinelli was actively involved in all phases of the event, contributing to the discussions on the Institute’s future prospects. He shared his strategic ideas for addressing emerging challenges and outlined his vision for the future of ICAR.

The second day focused on cutting-edge topics related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications. Noteworthy presentations included Luca Maria Aiello from the IT University of Copenhagen, who discussed the coordination language between humans and AI agents, and Massimo Bernaschi from IAC-CNR in Rome, who explored the evolution of Quantum Annealing in the era of GPUs. Additionally, Antonio Puliafito from the University of Messina discussed software-defined systems and the integration of the cyber world with the Internet of Things, while Biagio Cosenza from the University of Salerno presented programming models for distributed and energy-efficient computing.

The day continued with presentations on ongoing activities related to the Institute’s PNRR projects, followed by the exhibition of research projects developed by ICAR’s technology and research groups. A moment of socialization, culminating in the traditional social dinner, was not missing.

Finally, on September 27, a session dedicated to the organization and operations of the Institute was held, with an open discussion on conclusions and future prospects.

The posters are available at the following link: Poster Session.