Dongarra indicated that ganging microprocessors together isn't the best vehicle for performing advanced scientific calculations. He noted that supercomputers designed specifically for supercomputing chores -- like advanced Cray Computer machines -- are better suited for traditional supercomputing tasks. The Cray machines and other supercomputers designed specifically for supercomputing are designed from the ground-up to have excellent interconnections between the internal processors and memory -- a feature lacking in multiple microprocessor applications.
Collections of home computers, he added, are unlikely to ever operate efficiently enough for most traditional supercomputing work. The proliferation of many individual processors can lead to software complications, he said.
The most successful ganging of microprocessors to date -- the so-called "Big Mac" installation of 1100 Apple G5 dual processors at Virginia Tech -- ranked high on Dongarra's Linpack report, performing 10.2 trillion operations per second. However, that installation is not well-positioned to carry out some traditional supercomputing operations, Dongarra indicated. The Virginia Tech installation's G5 processors are being upgraded to Xserve G5 servers. Meanwhile, at Virginia Tech, Cal Ribbens, assistant head of computer science, said the smaller more efficient form factor of the new Xserve G5's should help in cooling the installation. He noted that the university has received interest from national scientific laboratories interested in making use of the installation.
The Virginia Tech installation placed third on the most recent version of the Linpack report. In an interview, Ribbens said the computer science staff is working on improving applications for large-scale simulation, system level operations, and fault tolerant protection.
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