Research & Development World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

GPGPUs Invade Supercomputing

By R&D Editors | April 16, 2010

GPGPUs 

Fermi’s 16 streaming multiprocessors (SM) are positioned around a common L2 cache. Each SM is a vertical rectangular strip that contains an orange portion (scheduler and dispatch), a green portion (execution units), and light blue portions (register file and L1 cache).

GPGPUs Invade Supercomputing 
The Future at Work
 

In the past decade, standard x86 processors went from near-zero to hero, largely replacing RISC processors to populate 70 percent of high performance computing (HPC) systems. Starting in 2010, IDC predicts that general purpose graphics processing units (GPGPUs) will make headway. Multiple 2010 procurements include GPGPUs alongside x86 processors, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has announced plans for a mega-supercomputer based on NVIDIA’s “Fermi” GPGPU co-processors. GPGPUs also are growing their footprints in industries such as oil and gas, financial services and bio-life sciences.

Make no mistake: x86 processors will dominate for the foreseeable future, but GPGPUs are being deployed for development work, and the transition to production computing will inevitably follow. Despite improvements, the x86 per-core bandwidth (bytes/flops ratio) keeps declining as the number of cores per processor multiples. Tuned-down x86 core speeds also throttle performance. Meanwhile, GPGPUs have become more advanced and easier to program. For the right applications, GPGPUs promise to provide more bang for the buck. Today, GPGPUs are typically co-processors linked to x86 or other standard base processors. In the future, they may all be equals on the same die.

Steve Conway is the Research Vice President in IDC’s High Performance Computing group. He may be contacted at [email protected].

Related Articles Read More >

From solar system simulations to SaaS savings, how Codeium’s AI agent empowers non-coders and scientists alike
Aardvark AI forecasts rival supercomputer simulations while using over 99.9% less compute
Quantum Brilliance, Pawsey integrate room-temp quantum with HPC on NVIDIA GH200
Frontier supercomputer reveals new detail in nuclear structure
rd newsletter
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, trends, and strategies in Research & Development.
RD 25 Power Index

R&D World Digital Issues

Fall 2024 issue

Browse the most current issue of R&D World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading R&D magazine today.

Research & Development World
  • Subscribe to R&D World Magazine
  • Enews Sign Up
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing
  • Global Funding Forecast

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search R&D World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE