Scientific advances over the 35 years since AIDS was first recognized as a new disease, have put us on a clear path towards ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Scaling-up access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and HIV prevention strategies, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, could dramatically decrease HIV-related deaths and the rate of new HIV infections. Current and future scientific advances, notably in HIV vaccine and cure research, will accelerate this process. Two major directions in HIV vaccine development will be discussed: building on the results from RV 144, the clinical trial in Thailand that resulted in the first modest signal of efficacy for a HIV vaccine; and structure-based immunogen design to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies. Cure research has accelerated greatly over the past few years in two areas. The first is the prospect of eradicating the HIV reservoir altogether (i.e. a classic cure), which might involve novel latency-reversing and immunotoxic regimens and gene editing techniques to create a host cellular environment that does not allow HIV replication. The second approach involves controlling viral rebound following discontinuation of ART to achieve sustained virological remission employing strategies, such as passive transfer of broadly neutralizing antibodies and therapeutic vaccination. In 2016, the arsenal of scientifically proven interventions available, as well as the hope of others to come, offer unprecedented opportunities to make major gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS. With a major global commitment to implement these scientific advances, the end of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is now achievable.