The collection of tools and utilities for analyzing and optimizing application performance, identifying correctness problems, and debugging hold an essential role in the success of advanced scientific computing research. Yet many core components of the tool ecosystem are at risk with the sunset of the Exascale Computing Project. Indeed, we face an important transition point for the entire High Performance Computing (HPC) Tools ecosystem. STEP is a new DOE/ASCR funded activity that seeks to understand the capabilities and opportunities of the HPC Tools community and find ways to sustain and improve the Tools ecosystem going forward. The STEP team would greatly appreciate your contributions to our grass-roots effort to transform the HPC Performance Tools ecosystem. More information about STEP is available on our website: https://ascr-step.org

One of the key goals of STEP is to understand the current state of the Tools Ecosystem. Chaim Potok once said “to plan a brighter future, we need to have a deep understanding of the present. If you don’t know the past, you can’t understand the present and plan properly for the future.”  So while STEP is rigorously looking for ways to be transformative — to improve the way we interact with performance tools — we are also rigorously pursuing a comprehensive understanding of how the Tools Ecosystem is both working well and working poorly today. Please give us your insights via this brief survey. Thank you.