High Performance Computing
High Performance Computing (HPC) or Supercomputing is a discipline within computer science focused on designing, implementing, and operating specialized processing solutions designed to execute complex analytic problems, often involving "big data". HPC operates at the cutting edge of computer technology.
HPC systems are faster than general purpose computers and are used for computationally intensive problems where a general computer system would be impractical or impossible. As such, the boundary defining HPC systems is relative to the state of technology at a point in time.
Maintaining a competitive position in HPC capabilities and systems is and will remain a continuing challenge requiring the investment of time and effort.
The Need for Speed
Description of the "Big Idea" of why we need HPC systems to meet some timeline that is driven by an activity cycle.
A Brief History
HPC have their roots in supercomputers developed by Seymour Cray in the 1960s at Control Data Corporation in the 1970s at Cray Research. These systems were developed to provide hardware solutions to demanding computing problems.
