Computational Models for Parallel Computers

Computational models define the usage patterns of a computer. They can be used to derive the architecture of the machine, provide guidelines for programming tools, and suggest how the machine should be used in applications. Identifying computational models is especially important for parallel computers, because their architectures and usages are still not well understood in general. This paper describes a number of computational models for parallel computers. These models characterize the communication patterns under which processors exchange their intermediate results during computation. Emphases are placed upon models for one-dimensional processor arrays, reflecting Carnegie Mellon's experiences with the Warp systolic array machine. These models include local computation, domain partition, pipeline, multifunction pipeline and ring.