For significantly easier coding of parallel applications, and maximum performance across SMP, distributed memory, and hybrid (DSM) systems.
Unified Parallel C (UPC) is a parallel extension of the C programming language, which is designed to support both of the common types of multiprocessor systems: those with a common global address space (such as SMP) and those with distributed memory. HP UPC supports most HP high-performance technical computing systems.
UPC provides a simple shared memory model for parallel programming, allowing data to be shared or distributed among a number of communicating processors. Constructs are provided in the language to permit simple declaration of shared data, distribute shared data across threads, and synchronize access to shared data across threads. This model promises significantly easier coding of parallel applications and maximum performance across shared memory, distributed memory, and hybrid systems. The UPC language development clearly illustrates the growing trend away from implicit parallelism towards explicit parallelism.
First commercially available UPC
HP UPC is the first commercially available UPC compiler in the world. It is also a high-performance, scalable, and complete implementation of the UPC language. It provides independent language documentation, run-time validation and tuning parameters, and full support for Version 1.2 of the UPC Language Specification (May 2005).
Development of the UPC language has been a joint effort. The controlling body is the UPC Consortium, a group containing representatives from academia, national labs, U.S. government agencies, and major computer manufacturers. Currently George Washington University maintains a central repository for the language specification and other information about UPC.
The HP UPC compiler has been running since December 2000 on three continents at 20 sites including government agencies, government labs, universities and supercomputer centers. The first applications for UPC include cryptography, numerical analysis, genomics, bioinformatics, fluid dynamics and animation/special effects.
HP's leadership role
HP UPC is a clear example of HP's commitment to its leadership role in high-performance technical computing. HP continues to work aggressively to ensure that UPC realizes its early promise:
- By collaborating with other interested industry partners to broaden the language functionally, working through the standardization process.
- By expanding interconnect options and supporting faster communication devices on the high end and more affordable alternatives on the low end.
- By working to make the language more widely available and promoting its use.
HP is working with Intrepid Technology, Inc. to develop a GDB variant that allows debugging of UPC programs. HP continues to work with Crescent Bay Software Corp. to improve the UPC optimization capabilities of the VAST optimizer package incorporated into the HP UPC compiler. In the past, HP has also worked with:
- Edison Design Group (EDG) to integrate UPC support in their core compiler front end.
- TotalView Technologies (previously Etnus, LLC) to provide debugger support for UPC programmers.
- Michigan Technological University to help them produce a reference runtime system for UPC.
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