Automap - project summary

High Performance Computing (HPC) has been defined as a key enabling technology for industrial competitiveness. The successful use of parallel computer technology requires the development of techniques to substantially reduce the complexity and cost of software development. In particular in commercial or industrial applications the required parallel structures tend to be complex, dynamic, or irregular, and in this environment the time to produce and modify software is as important as ultimate execution speed. Therefore, the fairly regular structures often found in the so called ``Grand Challenge'' applications (often used as benchmark applications for parallel compilation systems) are not very representative of `real life' applications.

In response to that, AUTOMAP will develop a high-level, application-oriented parallel programming system based on coordination-based structured programming. The parallel language in the system will be aimed at defining coarse grained tasks and control flow parallelism, both at compile-time as in run-time. Tasks themselves may be programmed in existing languages such as Fortran or C. Although the parallelism will be explicit, the programmer will be completely shielded from various implementation details. The system will be enhanced with automated task mappers based on a performance model of an underlying parallel machine. In this way, the program remains totally portable.

The implementation will use existing or emerging standards, to ensure portability across current machines and future machine generations.

The project combines new insights in language design, both compile-time and run-time scheduling, and performance prediction in an integrated approach. AUTOMAP will be validated using core programs drawn form industrial applications.

Last modified Friday 23 February 2007 13:45:43 UT by Kees van Reeuwijk.