Adaptable Software for Supercomputers

Abstract

Steady increases in computer hardware performance show no sign of slowing. Researchers are now exploring new supersystem architectures, such as data flow computers and reconfigurable computers that restructure the organization of their hardware to adapt to computational needs. If a supersystem can be reconfigured, it can more likely efficiently execute tasks that previously required a set of dedicated systems. Reconfiguration is especially important if the programs executed by the supersystem have widely differing computational requirements. Computations needed to control some sophisticated weapon systems are of this variety. The utilization and performace of any supersystem depends strongly on the software available for it. Necessary software includes system software, such as compilers and operating systems, and application software. Designing the system software to make efficient use of complex supercomputers is difficult. It is further complicated if the supercomputer is reconfigurable. The application programs for such systems are typically very large and complex, such as those for mission-critical military tasks. Thus, two problems facing system designers are (1) the development of system routines to efficiently control system reconfiguration, and (2) the writing of complex application programs. Software used to control and program reconfigurable supersystems must efficiently exploit the hardware flexibility available. If not,more » then the system does not fulfill its potential. Frequently in the past, customized application software packages were developed for every new computer, often resulting in programs that could be executed on only one type of machine. This machine dependence leads to duplication of effort since the same algorithms have to be coded repeatedly, thus increasing software cost. It is therefore important to look for solutions to these two problems in order to make efficient use of reconfigurable supersystems practical.« less