Showing posts with label HPCwire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HPCwire. Show all posts

Monday 5 October 2015

Essential Analogies for the HPC Advocate

This is an update of a two-part article I wrote for HPC Wire in 2013: Part 1 and Part 2.

An important ability for anyone involved in High Performance Computing (HPC or supercomputing or big data processing, etc.) is to be able to explain just what HPC is to others.

"Others” include politicians, Joe Public, graduates possibly interested in HPC, industry managers trying to see how HPC fits into their IT or R&D programs, or family asking for the umpteenth time “what exactly do you do?

One of the easiest ways to explain HPC is to use analogies that relate the concepts to things that the listener is more familiar with. So here is a run-through of some useful analogies for explaining HPC or one of its concepts:

The simple yet powerful: A spade


Need to dig a hole? Use the right tool for the job – a spade. Need to dig a bigger hole, or a hole through tougher material like concrete? Use a more powerful tool – a mechanical digger.

Now instead of digging a hole, consider modeling and simulation. If the model/simulation is too big or too complex – use the more powerful tool: i.e. HPC. It’s nice and simple – HPC is a more powerful tool that can tackle more complex or bigger models/simulations than ordinary computers.

There are some great derived analogies too. You should be able to give a spade to almost anyone and they should be able to dig a hole without too much further instruction. But, hand a novice the keys to a mechanical digger, and it is unlikely they will be able to effectively operate the machine without either training or a lot of on the job learning. Likewise, HPC requires training to be able to use the more powerful tool effectively. Buying mechanical diggers is also requires expertise that buying a spade doesn’t. And so on.

It neatly focuses on the purpose and benefit of HPC rather than the technology itself. If you’ve heard any of my talks recently you will know this is an HPC analogy that I use myself frequently.

The moral high ground: A science/engineering instrument


I’ve occasionally accused the HPC community of being riddled with hypocrites – we make a show of “the science is what matters” and then proceed to focus the rest of the discussion on the hardware (and, if feeling pious or guilty, we mention “but software really matters”).

However, there is a critical truth to this – the scientific (or engineering) capability is what matters when considering HPC. I regularly use this perspective, often very firmly, myself: a supercomputer is NOT a computer – it is a major scientific instrument that just happens to be built using computer technology. Just because it is built from most of the same components as commodity servers does not mean that modes of usage, operating skills, user expectations, etc. should be the same. This helps to put HPC into the right context in the listeners mind – compare it to a major telescope, a wind tunnel, or even LHC@CERN.

The derived analogies are effective too – expertise in the technology itself is required, not just the science using the instrument. Sure, the skills overlap but they are distinct and equally important.

This analogy focuses on the purpose and benefit of HPC, but also includes a reference to it being based on a big computer.

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Secrets of the Supercomputers

These are revelations from inside the strange world of supercomputing centers. Nobody is pretending these are real stories. They couldn’t possibly be. Could they?

On one of my many long haul airplane plane journeys this year, I caught myself thinking about the strange things that go on inside supercomputer centers - and other parts of the HPC world. I thought it might be fun to poke at and mock such activities while trying to make some serious points.

Since the flight was a long one, I started writing ... and so "Secrets of the Supercomputers" was born.

You can find Episode 1 at HPC Wire today, touching on the topic of HPC procurement.

No offense to anyone intended. Gentle mocking maybe. Serious lessons definitely.

Take a look here for some serious comments on HPC procurement at the NAG blog.

Tuesday 6 November 2012

HPC fun for SC12

I've previously written some light-hearted but partly serious pieces for the main supercomputing events.

I'm working on one for SC12 too - again to be published in HPC Wire - but in the meantime, here are pointers for the SC11 and ISC11 articles:

Friday 12 October 2012

The making of “1000x” – unbalanced supercomputing

I have posted a new article on the NAG blog: The making of "1000x" – unbalanced supercomputing.

This goes behind my article in HPCwire ("Chasing1000x: The future of supercomputing is unbalanced"), where I explain the pun in the title and dip into some of the technology issues affecting the next 1000x in performance.

Tuesday 2 October 2012

The first mention of SC12

It's that time of year again. SC has started to drift into my inbox and phone conversations with increasing regularity - here comes Supercomputing 2012 in Salt Lake City. Last year, in the run up to SC11 in Seattle, I wrote the SC11 diary - blogging every few days on my preparations and thoughts for the biggest annual event of the supercomputing world.

I'm not sure I'll do such a diary again this year (unless by popular demand - not likely!). However, I will be writing some articles for some publications (HPC Wire and others - see my previous articles) in the coming weeks which will set the scene for SC from my point of view - burning issues I hope will be debated in the community, key technology areas I will be watching, and so on.

In the meantime, if you crave SC reading material, you might amuse yourself by reading my previous fun at SC time (e.g. The top ten myths of SC - in HPC Wire for SC11) or you might even want to translate my fun from ISC (Are you an ISC veteran?) to new meanings at SC.

If you want more serious content, then browse on this blog site (e.g. tagged "events") or on the NAG Blog (e.g. tagged "HPC").

If you find nothing you like - drop me a comment below or via twitter and I'll see what I can do to address the topic you are interested in!

Thursday 2 August 2012

What is the point of supercomputers?

Maybe it seems an odd question to ask on a blog dedicated to High Performance Computing (HPC). But it is good to question why we do things – hopefully leading us to a clearer justification for investing money, time and effort. Ideally, this would also enable better delivery – the “how” supporting the “why” – focusing on the best processes, technologies, etc. to achieve the goals identified in the justification.

So, again, why supercomputing? Perhaps you think the answer is obvious – supercomputing enables modelling and simulation to be done faster than with normal computers, or enables bigger problems to be solved.

Friday 4 November 2011

My SC11 diary 10

It seems I have been blogging about SC11 for a long time - but it has only been two weeks since the first SC11 diary post, and this is only the 10th SC11 diary entry. However, this will also be the final SC11 diary blog post.

I will write again before SC11 in HPC Wire (to be published around or just before the start of SC11).

And, then maybe a SC11 related blog post after SC11 has all finished.

So, what thoughts for the final pre-SC11 diary then? I'm sure you have noticed that the pre-show press coverage has started in volume now. Perhaps my preview of the SC11 battleground, what to look out for, what might emerge, ...


Monday 29 August 2011

Supercomputers and other large science facilities

In my recent HPCwire feature, I wrote that I occasionally say, glibly and deliberately provocatively, that if the scientific community can justify (to funders and to the public) billions of dollars, large power consumptions, lots of staff etc for domain specific major scientific intrusments like LHC, Hubble, NIF, etc, then how come we can’t make a case for a facility needing comparable resources but can do wonders for a whole range of science problems and industrial applications?

There is a partial answer to that ...

Tuesday 15 December 2009

2009-2019: A Look Back on a Decade of Supercomputing

[Article by me for HPCwire, December 15, 2009]

As we turn the decade into the 2020s, we take a nostalgic look back at the last ten years of supercomputing. It's amazing to think how much has changed in that time.

http://www.hpcwire.com/features/2009-2019-A-Look-Back-on-a-Decade-of-Supercomputing-79351812.html?viewAll=y

Thursday 18 December 2008

Santa's HPC Woes

[Article by me for HPCwire, December 18, 2008]

In a break with centuries of reticence, perhaps the most widely recognised distributor of festive spirit and products, Santa Claus, has revealed some details of the HPC underpinning his time-critical global operations.

http://www.hpcwire.com/features/Santas-HPC-Woes-36399314.html

Thursday 14 August 2008

NAG Embarks on a New Business Venture

[Interview with me in HPCwire, August 14, 2008]

by John E. West, for HPCwire

... responding to changes in computing at both ends of the spectrum, [NAG] is positioning itself as the place to go, not just for shrink-wrapped libraries, but also for education and expertise in how to program in parallel, and even for expert advice on how to buy, build and run your own supercomputer. HPCwire talked to Andrew Jones, vice-president of HPC business at NAG, on what he has in mind for this new business and how he sees the future of HPC and parallel programming shaping up ...

http://www.hpcwire.com/features/NAG_Embarks_on_a_New_Business_Venture.html?viewAll=y