Supercomputers have expanded the reach of scientific inquiry for decades, and global competition has propelled supercomputing technology forward at a rapid pace. Each new supercomputer comes with a unique set of challenges that must be anticipated and resolved to stand up a functional machine. With more than 25 years of experience designing, building, and deploying some of the world’s fastest computers, the National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) has significant expertise in system design, testing, and optimization as well as software development and optimization. Before each new machine is debuted, HPC engineers conduct thousands of tests to confirm stability, vulnerability, functionality, and performance in order to deliver a robust and resilient integrated ecosystem to scientific users, while a dedicated group writes and maintains operationally-critical, custom software and tools to support the division’s machines. The NCCS aims to build innovative solutions using artificial intelligence and large-scale operational data analytics.