ABSTRACT
Unmatched: 50 Years of Supercomputing: A Personal Journey Accompanying the Evolution of a Powerful Tool
The rapid and extraordinary progress of supercomputing over the past half-century is a powerful demonstration of our relentless drive to understand and shape the world around us. In this book, David Barkai offers a unique and compelling account of this remarkable technological journey, drawing from his own rich experiences working at the forefront of high-performance computing (HPC).
This book is a journey delineated as five decade-long ‘epochs’ defined by the systems’ architectural themes: vector processors, multi-processors, microprocessors, clusters, and accelerators and cloud computing. The final part examines key issues of HPC and discusses where it might be headed.
A central goal of this book is to show how computing power has been applied, and, more importantly, how it has impacted and benefitted society. To this end, the use of HPC is illustrated in a range of industries and applications, from weather and climate modeling to engineering and life sciences. As such, this book appeals to both students and general readers with an interest in HPC, as well as industry professionals looking to revolutionize their practice.
From the Foreword:
“David Barkai's career has spanned five decades, during which he has had the rare opportunity to be part of some of the most significant developments in the field of supercomputing. His personal and professional insights, combined with his deep knowledge and passion for the subject matter, make this book an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the evolution of HPC and its impact on our lives.”
-Horst Simon, Director, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) Lab
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |16 pages
Short Introduction to Scientific Computing
part I|41 pages
The Epoch of Big Iron
chapter Chapter 4|11 pages
Numerical Weather Prediction
part II|43 pages
The Epoch of Multiprocessors
chapter Chapter 8|11 pages
Attached Processors, Microprocessors, and Mini-Supers
chapter Chapter 10|3 pages
HPC for the Automotive Design: Early Days
part III|33 pages
The Epoch of Microprocessors
chapter 102Chapter 12|5 pages
Toward Massive Parallelism
chapter Chapter 13|3 pages
Engineering with HPC
part IV|55 pages
The Epoch of Clusters
chapter Chapter 19|9 pages
High Productivity in HPC
chapter Chapter 21|7 pages
Computational Life Sciences
part V|60 pages
The Epoch of Accelerators and Cloud
chapter Chapter 24|8 pages
The Changing Face of HPC
chapter Chapter 27|14 pages
Modeling the Earth System
part VI|72 pages
Wrap-Up and Outlook