The Architecture of Supercomputers

This book describes the architecture of the first of a new class of computers, the graphic supercomputer workstation. The authors concentrate on the motivation for defining a new class of computer architectures, as well as on the form of the architecture that responds to the specifications for this new class. Written both for the technical professional as well as for students interested in computer architecture, this study of Titan architecture yields insights into an historically significant machine while examining its architectural principles both in isolation and in their inter-dependence with various design decisions. The book employs taxonomy as a means for organizing the discussion. Since performance is of paramount importance, a separate taxonomy and discussion on performance metrics is provided. The authors provide an evolutionary description of architectural and performance concepts and a glossary with definitions of the major terms and concepts. In addition, the book contains a brief high-level summary of the major features of the Titan architecture, as well as appendices.