Parallel Computing (Cambridge (CIE) A Level Computer Science): Revision Note
Exam code: 9618
Massively parallel systems
What are massively parallel computers?
Massively parallel computers are systems made up of thousands of processors working simultaneously to solve a single large problem
Each processor executes part of a program, and results are combined to produce the final output
They are designed to tackle complex, large-scale tasks in fields like
Scientific research
Weather simulation
Cryptography
AI
Key characteristics
Feature | Description |
|---|---|
Thousands of processors | Many processors are connected and work together to execute different parts of the same task |
Shared or distributed memory | Each processor may have its own memory or access shared memory resources |
High-speed interconnects | Processors are linked via fast communication pathways to share results |
Data parallelism | Many data items can be processed at once — often using SIMD or MIMD |
Task parallelism | Different processors may perform different tasks on different data sets |
Specialised software | Requires software written to distribute the work efficiently across processors |
Tightly coupled | Processors depend on one another and work collaboratively as a single system |
Massively parallel vs cluster computers
Massively parallel computers | Cluster computers |
|---|---|
Thousands of processors form a single tightly integrated system | Multiple independent systems networked together |
Processors communicate continuously via shared architecture | Communication occurs via network, often loosely coupled |
Acts like one machine with distributed processing | A group of co-operating systems (can be SIMD-based) |
Higher performance, used for supercomputing tasks | More general-purpose or batch processing systems |
Link to computer architectures
Massively parallel systems often use:
SIMD: Apply one instruction to many data points simultaneously
MIMD: Run different instructions on different data, fully independently
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