A field of endeavor that relates to all facets of technology, methodology, and application associated with achieving the greatest computing capability possible at any point in time and technology.
The purpose of HPC is to derive answers to questions that cannot be adequately addressed alone through means of empiricism, theory, or even widely available or accessible commercial computers. It is considered a “third pillar of science” alongside and complementing both experimentation (empiricism) and mathematics (theory)
HPC includes work on four basic building blocks:
- Theory
- numerical laws, physical models, speed-up performance, etc.
- Technology
- multi-core, supercomputers, networks, storage, etc.
- Architecture
- Shared-memory, distributed-memory, interconnects, etc.
- Software
- Libraries, schedulers, monitoring, applications, etc.
The primary differentiator between HPC systems and other computers is that HPC systems are designed for high computational capacity and speed, coordinating multiple processors for parallel operations.
#HPC Key Requirements
- Parallel Processing
- coordinated multi-processor operations.
- Scalability
- Capability to grow without disruption
- High-speed interconnects
- Fast data transfer between components
- Reliable storage
- Large, fast, and dependable data storage
- Efficient cooling
- Counteract heat generated by intensive processing.
- Fault tolerance
- Handle errors without significant work loss.
#HPC Applications
Glossary