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Future processors: What is on the horizon for HEP computing

Sverre Jarp CERN openlab CTO IT Department, CERN. Future processors: What is on the horizon for HEP computing. Items to consider. Processors will offer: 64-bit pointers (and long ints) Little growth from pure GHz “Multi-core” designs as a compensation More and more heat !

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Future processors: What is on the horizon for HEP computing

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  1. Sverre Jarp CERN openlab CTO IT Department, CERN Future processors: What is on the horizon for HEP computing SJ – Sept 2004

  2. Items to consider • Processors will offer: • 64-bit pointers (and long ints) • Little growth from pure GHz • “Multi-core” designs • as a compensation • More and more heat ! • Systems will offer: • Heterogeneity ? • Growth through • Brain, not Brawn • Various form factors • Units of one Mega-SPECint-2000 SJ – Sept 2004

  3. Processor considerations SJ – Sept 2004

  4. 64-bit computing • Are your codes 64-bit clean? • If not, convert NOW !! • All m-processor families are now 64-bit capable • AMD Athlon-64/Opteron (AMD64) • IBM Power family (also MAC G5) • Intel Itanium • Intel Prescott/Nocona (EM64T) • SUN Sparc SJ – Sept 2004

  5. Single processors • In the past there were rapid uni-processor speed increases • Between 2000 and 2003 we saw spectacular growth rates: ACGR: ~40% • Slow growth since then • Global SPECint number can be helped by other factors, however. • Bigger caches, faster buses, improved compilers have helped produce 40-50% increase over the last two years: ACGR ~20% • 90 nm is not helping raw clock speed much • Same issue for all three: AMD, IBM, Intel SJ – Sept 2004

  6. Multi-core designs • Moore’s original law said: • We are “Cramming more components onto Integrated Circuits” • Article published in 1965 (Almost 40 years ago) • The good news: • We still are! Transistor count still grows • Best way to put them to use • Multiple processors on a die: 1  2  4  … • Great news • for HEP’s “trivial paralellism” • But, systems will become more complex • A dual-socket 4-way CMP server may require 8-16 jobs in flight !! SJ – Sept 2004

  7. Heat issue • Big surprise to the whole industry? • Processors are getting hot • Many mainstream processors are in the range 90 – 135 W • Fortunately, some processor designs have focused on low power • These may serve as design examples for hotter cousins (in the future) • Nevertheless, the problem will not go away • Are we prepared to bring water cooling back? SJ – Sept 2004

  8. System considerations SJ – Sept 2004

  9. Heterogeneity • Unavoidably, our grids will have to cater with heterogeneous architectures • Mainstream Linux/GNU support may become the common denominator • 32-bit only x86 processors • 64-bit capable x86 processors • Itanium processors • IBM Power5 systems All have Red Hat/Suse server support SJ – Sept 2004

  10. Brain, not brawn • Increasingly important to extract performance from whole system • m-architecture • CMP designs (as discussed) • Cache hierarchy and bus designs • Operating system scalability • Compiler cleverness • Middleware optimization • Application optimization Smartness required at all levels SJ – Sept 2004

  11. System form factors • Our beloved DP (read: Dual Socket) systems may go out of fashion, in favour of: • 1) Single-socket (still multi-processor) systems • 2) Racks full of game systems ? • HEP needs to understand the implications of new efforts, such as the nVIDIA graphics or the Sony/Toshiba/IBM cell processor • 3) Larger servers • For instance: 4 sockets with 4 processors each • 4) Blade-based racks • Fully integrated with disks, network I/O, etc. This is an entire “research topic” in itself SJ – Sept 2004

  12. “Megaracks” • Expect companies in the future to offer “units” of 1 Mega-SPECint-2000 • For instance: • 2000 SPECint/core • 6 cores/socket • 4 sockets/2U • 22 2U/rack • Maybe our computer centres only need to house a few “hot” racks?? SJ – Sept 2004

  13. Conclusion • LEP experienced 3 distinct “system” cycles • Mainframes  RISC systems  Linux PCs • Be prepared for deep changes • Also during the LHC era SJ – Sept 2004

  14. Backup SJ – Sept 2004

  15. Are you ready for a 64-bit world ? SJ – Sept 2004

  16. Mega SPECint racks ? SJ – Sept 2004

  17. Water cooling ?? SJ – Sept 2004

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