GPN & ARE-ON Joint Conference 2026

The United States is experiencing unprecedented investment in fiber infrastructure, with fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment accelerating toward near-universal coverage of homes and businesses by the end of the decade. At the same time, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence is driving a new wave of demand for high-capacity fiber networks to connect data centers and support next-generation digital infrastructure. What do these converging investment cycles mean for the future of broadband, networks, and the broader technology ecosystem?

The Statewide Quantum Computing Working Group is a multi-disciplinary collaborative initiative launched in March 2026 to establish an integrated educational framework for quantum computing curricula across Arkansas. Led by the Emerging Analytics Center at UA Little Rock, the group brings together academic faculty from the Arkansas Quantum Network, industry partners, and technical experts to bridge expertise gaps in the field. Its primary goal is to develop shared instructional materials and identify best practices for research data management and cyberinfrastructure to prepare a highly skilled STEM workforce.

The key takeaway for attendees is the opportunity to participate in the co-development of a foundational Quantum Computing Curricula designed for use by academic institutions throughout Arkansas.

Audience: CIOs / CTOs, VPs of IT, IT Directors and Managers, Network Engineers and Administrators, Cybersecurity Professionals, HPC & Research Computing Professionals, Grant Administrators and PIs, Faculty and Academic Researchers, New and Emerging IT Professionals

Christopher Frennell

Max Attendee Tickets Available:40
*IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Attendees must first complete their Joint Conference registration prior to attending this workshop. In addition, pre-registration for this workshop session is required at: https://gpnandareonjointconference2026.eventbrite.com/

Data-Intensive workloads are becoming ever more common in both research and education across the country. However, the necessary skills and technologies needed to optimize these workloads are too often overlooked. In this tutorial, the GP-ENGINE team will provide an overview of containerization, docker, distributed computing, and Kubernetes for data-intensive workload optimization using the National Research Platform (NRP). Participants will gain hands-on experience utilizing the NRP to perform data-intensive workloads and gain insight into how to build and accelerate their own workloads.

Participants will gain knowledge and insight in utilizing the National Research platform to run, scale, and accelerate research workflows.

Audience: HPC & Research Computing Professionals, Faculty and Academic Researchers, New and Emerging IT Professionals