WORKSHOP CALL FOR PARTICIPATION TEMPLATES: BUILDING BLOCKS FOR PORTABLE PARALLEL APPLICATIONS February 6, 1995 FRONTIERS '95 The Fifth Symposium on the Frontiers of Massively Parallel Computing sponsored by the IEEE McLean Hilton, McLean, VA ORGANIZED BY: Jack Dongarra/Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville Robert Ferraro/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Geoffrey Fox/Syracuse Univ. WORKSHOP THEME The term "Templates" has recently gained attention in the parallel processing community, yet is an evolving concept with several definitions. The primary motivation for constructing templates is to rapidly infuse into common usage state-of-the-art algorithms in a form which can be adapted to specific application requirements. This implies that the template retains the desired numerical properties but is cast in a form which is independent of parallel architecture, data layout, and programming language. Many users would like to see templates go beyond pseudo-code, which can be found in textbooks and research papers, to become objects which are directly compilable on multiple architectures. This workshop will explore the issues involved in constructing an algorithm template which is portable, scalable, and adaptable to application requirements, yet retains the numerical properties which make the algorithm desirable in the first place. WHO SHOULD ATTEND The success of this workshop will depend on the participation of a mix of scientists who write parallel applications, parallel numerical algorithms researchers, and parallel programming environments researchers. Persons from these communities with an interest in portability, pedagogy, and maximizing reusability of parallel algorithms are invited to attend. Computational scientists are particularly encouraged to voice their requirements. AGENDA This is a half-day workshop in conjunction with Frontiers '95, consisting of invited presentations and an open discussion among all participants. To properly explore the workshop theme, the organizers have invited experts in certain topics to address the problems applications writers face in 1) constructing portable parallel applications, 2) using "state of the art" parallel algorithms, and 3) reusing "state of the art" numerical methods developed by others or for different applications. The invited presentations are: Traditional Libraries Lennart Johnsson Harvard University & Thinking Machines Corp. Benchmarks/Kernels Tony Hey University of Southampton Algorithm Templates James Demmel UC Berkeley Class Libraries Roldan Pozo National Inst. of Standards and Technology Archetypes Dan Meiron California Institute of Technology/ Center for Research in Parallel Computing Each speaker has been asked to spend 20 minutes summarizing how well the "state of the art" in their area does in addressing the 3 problems listed above. These presentations are intended to foment debate during the remainder of the workshop which will lead to, at least, an enumeration of the deficiencies of each approach to writing reusable parallel software, and, perhaps, a consensus on what are the key issue(s) which need to be addressed by any methodology which purports to deliver portable, scalable, parallel, state of the art, algorithms to the applications community at large. REGISTRATION The facilities will limit attendance to approximately 60 participants, so advanced registration for the workshop is required. To register for this workshop, send the following information via Email to --------------- Templates Workshop at Frontiers '95 ----------------------- Name: Email address: Affiliation: Mailing Address: Do you wish to have your name and address included in the workshop list of participants? (yes/no) [Email to . On-site registrations will be accepted on a space available basis.] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also, be sure to check the Templates Workshop on your Frontiers '95 Conference Registration form. Conference information, including registration and hotel forms, may be obtained via the WWW at http://www.cs.umd.edu/projects/hpsl/announcements/front95.html or via anonymous FTP at cs.umd.edu:pub/hpsl/frontiers95/ The Frontiers '95 deadline for advanced registration in January 7, 1995. There is no additional fee for registering for the Templates Workshop. After January 7th, conference registration fees increase - so advance register for the Templates Workshop, and Frontiers '95 today!