High Performance Computing in Europe and USA: A Comparison

Abstract

Since 1993 we compile and publish twice a year a list of the most powerful supercomputers in the world. In this article we compare the situation of High-Performance Computing (HPC) in Europe and the USA based on the quantitative data gathered over the years in this TOP500 project (see www.top500.org for a complete access to all data). We start with an overview of the project, including the motivation and rationale behind it. We present the results of the TOP500 project as of November 2000 focusing on the changes over time with respect to the manufacturers active in this market-segment, the architectures, and technologies used for these systems, the applications HPC systems are used for. In our analysis we focus especially on the situation in Europe and the USA. As conclusion we will present plans for the future of the TOP500 project.