|
|
We believe that the Wikipedia article on "High Performance Computing" sums it up the best::
"The term High Performance Computing (HPC) refers to the use of (parallel) supercomputers and computer clusters, that is, computing systems comprised of multiple (usually mass-produced) processors linked together in a single system with commercially available interconnects. This is in contrast to mainframe computers, which are generally monolithic in nature. While a high level of technical skill is undeniably needed to assemble and use such systems, they can be created from off-the-shelf components. Because of their flexibility, power, and relatively low cost, High Performance Computing (HPC) systems increasingly dominate the world of supercomputing. Usually, computer systems in or above the teraflop-region are counted as HPC-computers. |
The term is most commonly associated with computing used for scientific research. A related term, High-performance technical computing (HPTC), generally refers to the engineering applications of cluster-based computing (such as computational fluid dynamics and the building and testing of virtual prototypes). Recently, HPC has come to be applied to business uses of cluster-based supercomputers, such as data warehouses, line-of-business (LOB) applications and transaction processing. |
|
Evolving the "High Performance Computing (HPC)" Concept
It should be noted that there is an evolution that is happening with regards to the nomenclature surrounding the "HPC" acronym. The ‘old’ definition of HPC, High Performance Computing, was the natural semantic evolution of the 'supercomputing' market, referring to the expanded and diverse range of platforms, from scalable high-end systems to COTS clusters, blade servers and of course the traditional vector supercomputers used to attack the most complex data- and computational-intensive applications. A key trend that is currently taking root is the shift in focus towards productivity – or more precisely, how systems and technology are applied. |
This encompasses everything in the High Performance Computing (HPC) ecosystem, from the development environment, to systems and storage, to the use and interoperability of applications, to the total user experience – all combined to address and solve real world problems. The more current and evolving  definition of High Performance Computing (HPC refers to High Productivity Computing, and reflects the purpose and use model of the myriad of existing and evolving architectures, and the supporting ecosystem of software, middleware, storage, networking and tools behind the next generation of applications." |
|
|
Questions? email us at sales@redbarncomputers.com, or call 1-800-796-8809
|
|
|
|
