Perceptions and experiences of employees on the adoption and continued use of high-performance computing systems at a selected historically disadvantaged institution, South Africa

Abstract

The landscape of technology has significantly changed over the last decade. For the past two decades, the integration of technology has been something that a people have struggled adopting to. However, little research has been done to examine how this sense of technology integration develops and evolves. The adoption or rejection of new High-Performance Computing (HPC) technology is still up for debate, given its rapid development and increasing integration into users' personal and professional lives. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the perception and experiences of employees on the adoption and continued use of HPC systems at a Historically Disadvantaged Institution (HDI). A qualitative research design was implemented with the use of semi-structured interviews to collect data from a sample of 12 people within a department that mainly dealt with HPC in an HDI. Interviews were recorded using a recorder and transcribed. Thematic analysis approach was utilised to analyse and group emerging themes and sub-themes. Two themes, computer language background and continuous learning emerged as determinants of the adoption and continued use of HPC. The following four themes emerged in relation to the benefits of the adoption and continued use of HPC: solving complex problems, cost efficiency, innovation and job opportunities. The themes that emerged in relation to the impediments of the adoption and continued use of HPC are four, namely, load shedding, lack of data security, lack of resources and lack of exposure. On the other hand, only one theme, education, training and development emerged with regards to influencing the integration and continued use of HPC can be encouraged in HEIs. It is recommended that for future implications, studies should make use of computation knowledge to integrate solutions that will solve problems that affect the implementation and use of HPC in more industries.