Abstract
This paper discusses the impact of structured parallel programming methodologies in state-of-the-art industrial and research parallel programming frameworks. We first recap the main ideas underpinning structured parallel programming models and then present the concepts of algorithmic skeletons and parallel design patterns. We then discuss how such concepts have permeated the wider parallel programming community. Finally, we give our personal overview—as researchers active for more than two decades in the parallel programming models and frameworks area—of the process that led to the adoption of these concepts in state-of-the-art industrial and research parallel programming frameworks, and the perspectives they open in relation to the exploitation of forthcoming massively-parallel (both general and special-purpose) architectures.
Highlights
In the last two decades, the number of parallel architectures available to the masses has substantially increased
Our chief contribution in this paper is to provide an outline of the main results from algorithmic skeletons and parallel design patterns that have been migrated to industrial-strength parallel programming frameworks
3 Research Programming Framework Evolution We present a short review of the history of structured parallel programming models and frameworks in order to introduce the discussion on state-of-the-art parallel programming environments in relation to the ‘‘structured’’ parallel programming concepts of Sect
Summary
In the last two decades, the number of parallel architectures available to the masses has substantially increased. Parallel application programmers face the challenge of targeting hundreds of hardware-thread contexts, possibly associated to thousands of GP-GPU cores or, for top500-class architectures, millions of cores. These hardware features exacerbate the ‘‘software gap,’’ as Extended author information available on the last page of the article. Our chief contribution in this paper is to provide an outline of the main results from algorithmic skeletons and parallel design patterns that have been migrated to industrial-strength parallel programming frameworks They have arguably contributed to the acceptance and success of these frameworks along with the outlining of the possibilities still to be explored in the area. Aside from being of historical interest to those with an interest in structured parallel programming, the work may serve to inform the efforts of those charged with addressing the programmability of generation computing systems
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