Heterogeneous by Design: An Environment for Exploiting Heterogeneity

Heterogeneity in computing environments is becoming increasingly common. Some consider this a problem, while others (including ourselves) prefer to think of it as a benefit. By exploiting the different features and capabilities of computer nodes in a heterogeneous computing network, higher levels of performance can be attained than is possible using any single type of computer found in the network. In this papel; we present the preliminary design of a heterogeneous computing environment being developed at CHPC. The environment includes a high-speed interconnection architecture capable of supporting shared memory, as well as a new programming environment for developing heterogeneous applications that exploit the available hardware.