E4S Frequently Asked Questions

The following FAQs are designed to help visitors understand what the Ecosystem for Science (E4S) is, why it exists, and how it benefits the broader community of users, developers, maintainers, vendors, and sponsors.
Information is based on the E4S 25.06 release materials.

The Basics

Question Answer
What is E4S? E4S (Ecosystem for Science) is an open, curated collection of high-quality, interoperable software packages that enable advanced computing for scientific and engineering applications. It serves as a trusted ecosystem that integrates libraries, tools, and frameworks for portability and performance across architectures.
Why does E4S exist? E4S was created to improve the sustainability, interoperability, and portability of scientific software. It provides a unified platform where users can deploy complex scientific applications efficiently on diverse systems.
How is E4S different from individual software projects? E4S does not replace individual projects; it integrates them into a coherent ecosystem. Each package retains its own governance, but E4S provides shared infrastructure, testing, documentation, and community support that amplify each project’s impact.
Is E4S only for DOE labs? No. E4S is used across U.S. national laboratories, universities, industry, and international research centers. It is open to anyone developing or running scientific software at scale.
How often is E4S released? E4S releases occur approximately quarterly. Each release includes updated builds, binary caches, Spack recipes, and verification testing across supported platforms.
What is included in E4S? E4S includes hundreds of software components—mathematical libraries, data and visualization tools, performance tools, compilers, AI/ML frameworks, and build systems—organized into interoperable product families.

Scientific Progress

Question Answer
How does E4S accelerate scientific progress? E4S lowers the barrier to using complex HPC and AI software by making it easier to install, configure, and interoperate across systems. This accelerates the transition from research ideas to scientific results.
Does E4S support AI and data-driven science? Yes. E4S integrates both traditional HPC and modern AI/ML tools, enabling hybrid workflows where simulation, data analysis, and machine learning coexist.
How does E4S ensure software quality? Each E4S package undergoes compatibility and correctness testing through continuous integration (CI) pipelines, container builds, and verification testing at major computing facilities.
How does E4S support reproducibility? E4S provides versioned builds, containers, and package specifications using Spack, enabling reproducible environments across systems and over time.
Why is E4S described as an ecosystem rather than a stack? The term “ecosystem” reflects collaboration among many independently governed projects that share standards and infrastructure to achieve interoperability and collective impact.

Sponsors and Other Stakeholders

Question Answer
Who supports E4S? E4S is primarily supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science through initiatives like PESO (Post-ECP Software Operations), CASS (Consortium for the Advancement of Scientific Software), and related projects at DOE national laboratories.
Why should sponsors invest in E4S rather than individual projects? E4S amplifies the impact of individual investments by ensuring interoperability, reducing duplication, and improving sustainability across projects. It transforms isolated software components into an integrated, evolving infrastructure for science.
How does E4S benefit DOE facilities and missions? By standardizing the software ecosystem, E4S enables more efficient deployment on leadership systems, reduces operational overhead, and enhances user productivity across DOE missions.
How does E4S contribute to open science? E4S promotes transparency, accessibility, and collaboration by maintaining open-source software, documentation, and build recipes available to all users.
What evidence shows E4S is working? Adoption across major facilities (ALCF, OLCF, NERSC), inclusion in vendor SDKs, and growth in package coverage and downloads demonstrate E4S’s increasing impact on the scientific community.

Users

Question Answer
Who are the main users of E4S? Scientists, engineers, and developers who rely on high-performance computing and AI tools for modeling, simulation, and data analysis.
How can users get started with E4S? Users can install E4S through Spack or use pre-built containers from DockerHub, GitHub, or facility-provided caches. Documentation and tutorials are available on e4s.io.
What platforms does E4S support? E4S runs on a wide range of systems—from laptops to supercomputers—including NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs, as well as ARM and Power architectures.
Does E4S simplify software installation? Yes. Through Spack and binary caches, E4S enables portable builds that can be quickly installed on different systems with minimal effort.
How can I contribute feedback or suggest new packages? Users can engage through GitHub issues, mailing lists, or community meetings. Feedback helps shape future releases and priorities.

Product Teams

Question Answer
What benefits do product teams gain from E4S participation? Product teams gain visibility, shared testing infrastructure, interoperable APIs, and early access to facility testing environments. This helps ensure their software is ready for deployment on next-generation systems.
Does joining E4S affect a project’s autonomy? No. Each project maintains its governance and release schedule. E4S participation enhances collaboration without changing project control.
How does E4S support interoperability between projects? E4S establishes common build, packaging, and documentation standards that allow libraries and tools to work together seamlessly.
How does E4S improve sustainability for product teams? By reducing redundant infrastructure and increasing exposure to users and sponsors, E4S strengthens each project’s long-term support and community base.
Can experimental or emerging software join E4S? Yes. E4S includes both mature and emerging projects. New packages are evaluated for readiness, licensing, and relevance to scientific workflows.

System Maintainers at Computing Facilities

Question Answer
How does E4S help system maintainers? E4S provides verified builds, containers, and dependency graphs, reducing the time and complexity of installing and maintaining scientific software at scale.
Is E4S compatible with facility software environments? Yes. E4S is built with Spack, which integrates well with module systems and site-specific configurations used at DOE and university facilities.
Can maintainers customize E4S for local needs? Absolutely. Facilities can extend or subset E4S configurations to match local policies, compilers, or hardware environments.
How does E4S improve reproducibility across facilities? Shared build recipes and verified configurations allow identical software environments to be deployed across multiple sites, improving reproducibility and collaboration.
Does E4S provide CI or test results for site validation? Yes. E4S provides automated build and test reports that help facilities validate configurations before deployment.

Vendors and Other Software Providers

Question Answer
How do vendors benefit from E4S? E4S helps vendors ensure their compilers, drivers, and SDKs are compatible with a broad portfolio of scientific software. It provides a neutral platform for testing and verification.
Which vendors participate in E4S? NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, HPE, Cray, and ARM are among the active collaborators ensuring that their software stacks integrate smoothly with E4S.
How does E4S interact with vendor SDKs? E4S complements vendor SDKs by providing validated open-source libraries and tools that run efficiently on their platforms.
Why should vendors support E4S? Vendor engagement with E4S promotes co-design and reduces friction in deploying new hardware or compilers to the scientific community.
How does E4S help align community and vendor roadmaps? Through joint testing, feedback loops, and shared infrastructure, E4S aligns evolving open-source capabilities with vendor-supported hardware and software features.