High Performance Computing Systems 

 (HPCS) 



The HPCS component pioduees sculuble parallel computing systems in collaboration with industry 

 and academia. Unlike dedicated, single processor architectures of the past, scalable parallel systems 

 have the property that increases in size result in proportional improvement in performance. This is 

 achieved by connecting multiple processors and memory units through a scalable interconnection 

 structure. Scalable systems can be configured over a wide range that can deliver high performance 

 computing to users at both small and very large scales. 



Because the computing system designs are scalable, they can be used in smaller scale workstations. 

 Such workstations may also have high performance graphics capabilities to enable visualization of a 

 computational result and provide interactive interfaces to the user. These workstations may be linked 

 to local networks connected to the Internet, a network of networks that includes high performance sub- 

 nets linking higher performance and larger scale computing systems throughout the country. 



HPCS focuses on the fundamental scientific and technological challenges of accelerating the advance 

 of affordable scalable parallel high performance computing systems. Critical underlying technologies 

 are developed in prototype form along with associated design tools. This allows evaluation of alterna- 

 tives as the prototype systems mature. Evaluation continues throughout the research and development 

 process, with experimental results used to refine successive generations of systems. 



Scalable computing technologies used in combination with scalable networking technologies provide 

 the technology base needed to address the Grand Challenges and the National Challenges. The neces- 

 sary software technologies are developed by the ASTA and IITA components. 



HPCS is composed of four elements to produce progressively more advanced and mature systems: 



I. Research for Future Generations of Computing Systems 



This element develops the miderlying architecture, components, packaging (integration of electronics, 

 photonics, power, cooling, and other components), systems software, and scaling concepts to achieve 

 affordable high performance computing systems. These efforts ensure that the required advanced 

 technologies will be available for the new systems and provide a foundation for the more powerful 

 systems to follow. This element also produces the basic approaches for systems software, program- 

 ming languages, and environments for heterogeneous configurations of workstations and high perfor- 

 mance servers. 



II. System Design Tools 



This element develops computer aided design tools and the technology to allow multiple design tools 

 to work together in order to enable the design, analysis, simulation, and testing of system components 

 and modules. These tools make rapid prototyping of new system concepts possible. New design tools 

 will be produced to enable the design of more advanced prototype systems using new technologies as 

 they emerge. 



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