Massively Parallel Microprocessor Systems

This book covers the field of MPMS. This is a subset of the field of Massively Parallel Computers. Although this variety of computer has been around for a long time, it only started to make an impact on the computer industry in the 1990's, as an alternative to supercomputers. The goal of this document is to give the reader an introductory look at the fundamentals of MPMS design, to allow the reader to understand the trade-offs, limitations, speed, cost, complexity, and architectures. The reader will be shown the history and the trends of the technology of this rapidly moving field. To achieve these goals, we'll review the basics and background of the technology, to understand where the trade-offs are. We'll then look at real-world design examples to see how the trade-offs were made. It is essential to realize that in MPMS technology, as in many cutting edge endeavors, there are no wrong answers in the marketplace, but a multitude of right ones. The wrong answers either never make it to the market, or don't last long there. This is not a source for designers, because the level of detail presented is not sufficient. However, it will be useful for engineers and engineering managers that must make use of this technology in systems. They need to know the capabilities and limitations of this important field, to be able to apply the technology in their particular domains of expertise. MPMS is a rapidly evolving field. Software has not begun to catch up with the processors. Good software tools to develop, debug, and maintain MPMS are just emerging.