Cost-performance analysis of heterogeneity in supercomputer architectures

Abstract

Heterogeneity has appeared as a cost-effective approach to design high performance computers. This paper analyzes cost-performance of heterogeneity in supercomputer architectures. Queueing models are used to study performance of homogeneous and heterogeneous supercomputer models. Grosch's Law, which states that computer performance increases as the square of its cost, is used to analyze cost aspects of the models. The results of this paper show that heterogeneity in supercomputer architectures is a quite promising design approach that deserves further investigation.