Functional Parallel Programming with Revised Bulk Synchronous Parallel ML

Abstract

Bulk Synchronous Parallel ML or BSML is a high-level language for programming parallel algorithms. Built upon the Objective Caml language, it provides a safe setting for implementing Bulk Synchronous Parallel (BSP) algorithms. It avoids concurrency related problems: deadlocks and non-determinism. BSML is based on a very small core of parallel primitives that extended functional sequential programming to functional BSP programming with a parallel data structure and operations to manipulate it. However, in practice the primitives for writing the parallel non-communicating parts of the program are not so easy to use. Thus we designed a new syntax that makes programs easier to write and read. Revised BSML is presented and its expressiveness and performance are illustrated through an application example.