Algorithms and Software for Emerging Architectures (ASEArch)

Advanced computing is an essential tool in addressing scientific problems of national interest, including climate change, nanoscience, the virtual human, new materials, next-generation power sources and astrophysics; as importantly it is equally essential to solve commercial and industrial problems in financial modelling, engineering, and real-time decision systems. In recent years the computer systems that underpin these software applications have changed radically and it is no longer possible to simply run the same application software efficiently on new machines. This CCP will address this challenge by creating new knowledge regarding new hardware and software systems and disseminating to other computational science groups. That dissemination will occur through publications, workshops, in-depth study groups, new algorithms and software kernels.

The CCP is building on, and leveraging, several existing networks and institutes and is well positioned to leverage international efforts too. There is agreed engagement with the application-driven CCPs and a broad range of network collaborators.

The activity will have impact on academic computational scientist through direct engagement, availability of technology watch outputs; reports on best practice; papers on new algorithms; and open source software. Through the engagement of our industry partners and appropriate knowledge transfer network we will also have impact on commercial applications.

The immediate beneficiaries of this initiative will include scientists and developers in the other CCPs, in other computational science projects and in industrial R&D. The impact will be on both the academic and commercial worlds through knowledge transfer in both directions, adoption of software kernels and know-how in industry, through industry input to the technology watch, and dissemination of that into the academic community.

The outputs of ASEArch will be fourfold:

1. An internationally competitive activity resulting in algorithms and software that will lead to more effective use of high-performance chips and computers.
2. Publications and papers on new algorithms, software tools and best practice.
3. An increase in education and training resulting in a new generation of researchers and a more highly skilled workforce.
4. Open source software that implements new algorithms for advanced computing available to anyone for incorporation into applications, products or services.

The activities of this CCP will ensure that the existing investments in scientific software are not lost as new machines architectures become prevalent. The return on investment in future research software and on investments in new HPC hardware will be increased by this initiative.