About the CRPC High-performance computing is an essential tool in science and engineering. It is used to simulate physical phenomena, analyze data, link theory with reality, and design everything from simple machine parts to massively parallel computers. Further advancements in the use of high-performance computing will require not only faster, more powerful computers, but more efficient software and algorithms. However, successful efforts to increase the performance speed of traditional single-processor computers have come slowly.
Parallel processing provides the answer to problems of speed and effciency.
The next generation of parallel computers will achieve more than three trillion floating point operations per second. Unfortunately, massively parallel machines require different algorithms from those used for sequential processing, and managing multiple processors makes parallel machines hard to program. These factors have inhibited acceptance of parallel computing. Much has been accomplished since the CRPC's establishment. New software tools have been developed along with new parallel algorithms and prototype implementations of scientific application programs.