An Amazing COMCHA Session at the XVII CPAN Days in Valencia!

A highly successful meeting that highlighted the excellence and expanding impact of Spain’s scientific-computing community.

24th November 2025 | by A. Oyanguren and L. Fiorini

The COMCHA session at the XVII CPAN Days, held in Valencia from 19 to 21 November 2025, became one of the most lively and inspiring moments of the CPAN meeting. Nearly 50 attendees filled the room, creating an atmosphere full of curiosity, energy and genuine enthusiasm for the future of scientific computing in Spain.

What truly stood out this year was the remarkable breadth and depth of contributions coming from the Spanish community. Researchers and developers presented outstanding work across a wide range of topics, including Quantum Computing, next-generation simulation approaches, particle identification and advanced analysis techniques, detector design, reconstruction frameworks and data analysis strategies, without forgetting sustainability initiatives for scientific computing infrastructures.

The level of engagement during the session was exceptional: questions flowed continuously, discussions were animated, and the room kept the momentum from start to finish. It was a vivid reminder of how much the Spanish computing community has grown in recent years—both in size and in ambition—and of the excellent work being carried out across our institutes.

We were also fortunate to welcome three highly respected international leaders, whose presence added a special dimension to the session: Danilo Piparo, key developer of the ROOT ecosystem, Gordon T. Watts, representing the IRIS-HEP project, and Eduardo Rodrigues, a driving force within the HEP Software Foundation (HSF). Their talks offered not only expert insights but also encouragement and inspiration for the community, and they sparked meaningful exchanges with the audience.

The session also highlighted the support provided by the national computing infrastructures Artemisa and PIC, which continue to enable Spanish groups to tackle increasingly sophisticated software, simulation and data-analysis challenges. Their contribution is a cornerstone of our collective progress.

These strong computing activities were also reflected beyond the COMCHA session itself: in the CPAN plenary sessions, Carla Marín from the University of Barcelona delivered an excellent talk on “Impact of Artificial Intelligence in High Energy Physics,” offering a clear, insightful overview that highlighted the growing relevance and quality of the Spanish contributions in this area.

All in all, this year’s COMCHA session left a clear message: the Spanish computing community is thriving, passionate and deeply committed to pushing the field forward. At COMCHA, we are proud of the work being done and grateful to everyone who contributed to making this session such a success. We look forward to continuing to support and connect this vibrant and growing community!

https://indico.ific.uv.es/event/8035/sessions/4741/#20251119