Java for high performance computing: assessment of current research and practice

The rising interest in Java for High Performance Computing (HPC) is based on the appealing features of this language for programming multi-core cluster architectures, particularly the built-in networking and multithreading support, and the continuous increase in Java Virtual Machine (JVM) performance. However, its adoption in this area is being delayed by the lack of analysis of the existing programming options in Java for HPC and evaluations of their performance, as well as the unawareness of the current research projects in this field, whose solutions are needed in order to boost the embracement of Java in HPC. This paper analyzes the current state of Java for HPC, both for shared and distributed memory programming, presents related research projects, and finally, evaluates the performance of current Java HPC solutions and research developments on a multi-core cluster with a high-speed network, InfiniBand, and a 24-core shared memory machine. The main conclusions are that: (1) the significant interest on Java for HPC has led to the development of numerous projects, although usually quite modest, which may have prevented a higher development of Java in this field; and (2) Java can achieve almost similar performance to native languages, both for sequential and parallel applications, being an alternative for HPC programming. Thus, the good prospects of Java in this area are attracting the attention of both industry and academia, which can take significant advantage of Java adoption in HPC.