Entering the World of HPC and AI Infrastructure
I have worked in technology for most of my career, just not in this corner of it. When I stepped into the world of HPC and AI infrastructure as a Partnership Sales Manager at Red Oak Consulting, I will be honest, I felt like the new girl again.
I am used to complex sales cycles and senior stakeholder conversations. But HPC is different. The infrastructure is capital-intensive and engineered with very little margin for error.
You feel the weight of it quickly. These are not routine technology purchases for customers; they are major infrastructure investments that shape operations, cost structures and capability for years to come.
It is also a smaller, more specialised ecosystem than other areas of tech I have worked in.
Different sector, same imbalance
What felt more familiar was the gender dynamic. Globally, women account for around 33% of researchers, according to UNESCO and closer to 28% of the engineering workforce.
In highly specialised infrastructure fields such as HPC, representation is understood to be even lower still. So while the technology is moving quickly, representation is not moving at the same pace.
There is still an assumption that if a woman works in tech, she is probably in sales. I am in sales, so I am aware of that perception.
It is a narrow view, and it overlooks the women working in deeply technical roles across complex compute environments.
At the same time, it reflects a pattern that has existed across tech for years: commercial roles feel more accessible to women, engineering less so.
What has genuinely surprised me is how welcoming the HPC sector has been. In HPC, perhaps because the work is so specialised and complex, the dynamic feels different as no single person can cover every angle.
The engineering depth is huge, the commercial exposure is significant, and the customer impact is long-term. That seems to create more respect for the distinct skills each person brings.
The role of non-technical women in a technical world
In my experience, non-technical women in a technical industry matter for a fairly simple reason: visibility shapes perception. If the only women people see in HPC are engineers with highly specialised backgrounds, some talented women will assume they do not fit.
If the only women they see are in commercial roles, that creates a different kind of limitation.
When there is a mix, technical, commercial, or operational, it signals that there are multiple ways in.
You can arrive through engineering. You can arrive through partnerships. You can build a career around customer strategy without writing code.
This visibility is crucial not only for those already in the field, but also for students, career-changers, and early-career professionals who are considering whether HPC is for them
Women in technical roles are essential. Women in commercial roles are essential. Together, they show that HPC is not a single-track career path, but a sector that needs a range of strengths to serve customers properly.
Looking ahead
HPC and AI infrastructure will shape the next decade of innovation. The teams building it need depth, diversity and commercial awareness as much as they need technical excellence.
For me, joining Red Oak Consulting has not felt like stepping into an exclusive club.
It has felt like joining a team that understands the scale of the opportunity and wants the right mix of people around the table.
Natasha Loy
Partnership Sales Manager
Red Oak Consulting
