Title :
The design of the MasPar MP-1: a cost effective massively parallel computer
Author :
Nickolls, John R.
Author_Institution :
MasPar Comput. Corp., Sunnyvale, CA, USA
fDate :
Feb. 26 1990-March 2 1990
Abstract :
The design and implementation of the MasPar MP-1 are described. It is a general-purpose massively parallel computer system that achieves peak computation rates beyond a billion floating point operations per second yet is priced like a minicomputer. The architecture of the MP-1 is scalable in a way that permits its computational power to be increased along two axes: the performance of each processor and the number of processors. This feasibility is well matched to VLSI technology where circuit densities continue to increase at a rapid rate. The scalable nature of massively parallel systems protects the customers´ software investment while providing an increasing performance in successive products. The array control unit, processor array, processor elements, memory, X-Net mesh interconnect, and multistage crossbar interconnect are discussed.<>
Keywords :
parallel architectures; parallel machines; MasPar MP-1; VLSI technology; X-Net mesh interconnect; array control unit; computational power; massively parallel computer; memory; multistage crossbar interconnect; performance; processor array; processor elements; scalable architecture; Computer architecture; Concurrent computing; Costs; Integrated circuit interconnections; Investments; Microcomputers; Power system protection; Process control; Software performance; Very large scale integration;
Conference_Titel :
Compcon Spring '90. Intellectual Leverage. Digest of Papers. Thirty-Fifth IEEE Computer Society International Conference.
Conference_Location :
San Francisco, CA, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-8186-2028-5
DOI :
10.1109/CMPCON.1990.63649
