Scaling Aspects for the Performance of Parallel Algorithms

Abstract We investigate the performance of two-dimensional cellular automata simulations on two parallel computers of the message-passing type, namely a small Transputer system and one SUPRENUM-cluster. The timing results can be fitted with a simple modelling function with parameters directly connected to properties of the algorithm and the computer system. They exhibit scaling behaviour and it can be shown that the resulting scaling function is universal in the sense that is is valid for a wide range of algorithms.