Meet Andy Grant, EMEA Director for Supercomputing & AI at NVIDIA

Andy Grant is a veteran of the supercomputing world, with over 30 years of experience in high-performance computing, AI, and data-driven innovation. As EMEA Director for Supercomputing and AI at NVIDIA, Andy is focused on helping higher education and research institutions across Europe adopt cutting-edge technologies that balance performance with sustainability. 

His career path spans tech giants like IBM, SGI/Cray (now HPE), Eviden/Atos, and now NVIDIA, where he combines a strategic vision with a deeply collaborative mindset. Andy is particularly passionate about energy-efficient computing and the responsible deployment of AI technologies. 

In the interview below, he opens up about what drives him, what trends are reshaping the future, and why trust and integrity still matter most. 

🧭 The Inspiration Behind Career Transitions in Tech Giants like IBM, SGI/Cray, and NVIDIA 

For Andy, every career decision has been shaped not just by technology, but by people. The evolution of hardware and software platforms is inevitable, but the human networks behind them are what give his work lasting meaning. 

“I’ve always been passionate about scientific computing and working with people who can really make a difference. While the companies and technologies have changed over time, many of the people and organisations that I have worked with have remained consistent—and I consider them friends. Building that trust relationship is critical to developing strong collaborations.” 

This long-term view—valuing enduring relationships over titles or trends—has helped Andy maintain continuity in a fast-changing industry. 

🔁 One Habit That Has Made the Biggest Difference in His Success 

Working closely with researchers, universities, and leading-edge scientific teams means constantly being exposed to groundbreaking ideas. Andy sees his role not as being the expert in the room, but as the person who connects the dots between technology and scientific ambition. 

“In the area I work, which is generally with universities and research labs doing leading-edge research, I know that I am never going to be the cleverest person in the room. However, it’s important that I have a broad understanding of our technologies and how they can be applied in different scientific fields so that I can make sensible recommendations and help drive fruitful partnerships. To that end, I make sure that I take time to read scientific papers, listen to relevant podcasts and keep as up to date as possible so that I can have a meaningful conversation with customers. I really encourage all our new starters and younger professionals to set aside time to keep up to date, particularly when we are in such a fast-moving field.” 

🌍 Building and Managing Diverse Technical Teams Across Europe 

Leading teams across multiple countries has taught Andy the importance of cultural empathy combined with universal values. While business contexts differ across Europe, the foundations of trust, honesty, and self-awareness remain the same. 

“Understanding different cultures and markets is really important in how to build trust in relationships, but the fundamentals are the same regardless of the market: having integrity when dealing with customers, partners and suppliers is critical. Also, understanding your limits and knowing when it is important to bring in other people into the conversation. That could be related to technical topics or broader commercial topics such as managing export controls, financing or legal compliance.” 

🚀 The Most Transformative Growth Area in the Next Decade 

Andy doesn’t isolate AI, HPC, quantum computing, or data analytics into separate silos. He views them as mutually reinforcing technologies, converging under the broader umbrella of scientific computing. 

“If I categorize my area as scientific computing then I think all of these technologies are inter-related and will see dramatic growth in the next few years. Traditional modelling and simulation (HPC) is being transformed by AI with methods such as physics-informed neural networks driving new capabilities at a fraction of the computational cost and energy. As AI adoption grows and ever larger systems and models are being deployed, we are seeing a lot of optimization techniques coming from the world of HPC being applied. This could be things like the use of mixed precision numerical formats and memory optimizations, but also at the data centre level where methods such as direct liquid cooling, that have been used in HPC for some time, are now being deployed by AI factories at scale.” 

He also highlights the growing importance of data infrastructure, which is foundational for both AI and HPC success. 

“Whether an application is from the domains of HPC or AI, being able to feed the model with sufficient data is fundamental. There is a lot of innovation and adaptation in the storage industry currently, which can be overwhelming for customers. This is why at NVIDIA we have introduced reference architectures that customers can use to ensure that their overall performance remains balanced and that bottlenecks are minimized or removed altogether.” 

When it comes to quantum computing, he sees near-term value in hybrid approaches and AI-assisted development. 

“For the next few years at least, I think hybrid classical/quantum approaches are likely to dominate where quantum systems act as accelerators for traditional classical computers. Another key area is use of AI to support quantum algorithm development in areas like noise simulation and error correction. Skills in quantum computing are likely to be in high demand in the coming years, and so understanding how to develop quantum computing algorithms, which involves different thinking, will become increasingly valuable. NVIDIA makes its quantum computing development environments freely available to help developers on this journey.” 

🔎 An Underestimated Trend in AI and HPC 

While much of the spotlight in tech goes to large models and performance benchmarks, Andy believes some of the most disruptive innovations are happening quietly in applied contexts—like digital twins and robotics. 

“Digital twins are starting to be deployed in every industry from healthcare to advanced manufacturing. Creating digital twins in NVIDIA Omniverse allows users to create physically accurate virtual replicas of unique objects, processes, and environments, all constantly in sync with real-world data inputs and powered by AI. This is transformative as it has the potential to save millions of dollars in costs and years in time to production.” 

He’s equally excited about Physical AI, where software intelligence meets real-world interaction: 

“Another key trend is the strong coupling between AI systems and robotics platforms, so-called Physical AI. As AI systems become capable of more advanced reasoning and have the ability to make decisions based on context and environment, physical systems—from autonomous carts navigating warehouse floors to humanoid robots able to undertake repetitive or dangerous tasks—will become increasingly common.” 

⏩ What Will AI and Supercomputing Look Like in 10 Years? 

Predicting the future of AI and HPC may be risky, but Andy is confident that sustainability and sovereignty will be central. 

“Increasing the energy efficiency of AI and supercomputing will continue to be a major trend. We have achieved a 1000-fold increase in energy efficiency over the last ten years through different hardware and software innovations, and it is vital that this continues.” 

He also points to the rise of Sovereign AI, where local models trained on local data reflect local needs. 

“I see Sovereign AI becoming increasingly important, where local data is used to create local models that better reflect regional characteristics and needs. This will be increasingly important in areas like healthcare, where having data which truly represents a nation’s population will be fundamental to patient outcomes. AI—the most important technology of our time—will be turbocharging innovation across every facet of society.” 

💡 Final Takeaway 

Asked what he hopes readers will remember most, Andy doesn’t cite a technology, but a principle: 

“That trust and integrity are important in all business relationships and that we are at a very exciting time for our industry, which I am optimistic will lead to many new ideas and breakthroughs that are hard to comprehend currently.” 

🎫 Meet Andy Grant at Future Summit: AI 

Whether you're exploring AI integration, navigating the HPC landscape, or looking to future-proof your data infrastructure, Andy Grant brings a wealth of insight grounded in real-world expertise. 

📍 Join him live at Future Summit: AI  

📅 November 17 | NORD Events Center by GlobalWorth  

🎟 Secure your seat today