PACS: a parallel microprocessor array for scientific calculations

Pacs-32 is a prototype supercomputer used for a broad range of scientific calculations. It has a synchronizable MIMD processor array, and on the basis of this facility, it provides efficient nearest neighbor communication. Processors are combined into a rectangular array with endaround connections, and can synchronize at user-specified points with little overhead. The hardware has been constructed with 32 processors, and the operating software includes a high-level language. The Pacs-32 system has performed in a number of applications, such as Poisson equation solving, nuclear reactor calculation, aerodynamics, Monte Carlo simulation of plasma particles, and molecular dynamics modeling in solid state physics. The processor efficiency measure ranges from 78 percent through 99 percent in these applications. 12 references.