Achieving Parallel — Intel Offers Tips For Higher Performance

Dr. Yann Golanski, a researcher on the formation of stars, and Stephen Blair-Chappell from Intel Compiler Labs, offer suggestions for improving application performance through parallel programming.

Maybe it was because the list came to life over a Thai dinner in York (UK) but the first suggestion is distinctly non-parallel — consider buying a faster computer. The ideas get a little more on a parallel track after that, such  as start small, consider rewriting the algorithm to is it parallel-friendly, and stop when you have good enough.

Here’s the latest edition of The Parallel Universe Magazine.

It is edited by James Reinders, whom I cited in an earlier blog. He discusses the best tools for parallel processing like Intel Parallel Studio XE and Intel Parallel Building Blocks. He asks for feedback on the articles and includes his email.
The newsletter also offers ways to get an easy performance boost even with unthreaded apps.
Interesting to see Intel pouring more resources into software. Back before Microsoft got taken down a notch or two by the U.S. Department of Justice over its monopolistic practices, Bill Gates supposedly warned Andy Grove at Intel to stay away from software, although at the time I think Intel’s code was pretty much limited to V Tune.