The Architecture of a Homogeneous Vector Supercomputer

A new homogeneous computer architecture developed by FPS combines two fundamental techniques for high-speed computing: parallelism based on the binary n-cube interconnect, and pipelined vector arithmetic. The design makes extensive use of VLSI technology, resulting in a processing node that can be economically replicated. Processor nodes incorporate high-speed communications and control, vector-oriented floating-point arithmetic, and a novel dual-ported memory design. Each node is implemented on a single circuit board and can perform 64-bit floating-point arithmetic at a peak speed of 16 MFLOPS. Eight nodes are grouped together with a system node and disk support to form modules. These modules, housed in cabinet-sized packages, are capable of 128 MFLOPS peak performance and make up the smallest homogeneous units of larger systems. The new FPS system achieves a careful balance between high-speed communication and floating-point computation. This paper describes the new architecture in detail and explores some of the issues in developing effective software.