Software Tools for High-Performance Computiing: Survey and Recommendations

Applications programming for high-performance computing is notoriously difficult. Al-though parallel programming is intrinsically complex, the principal reason why high-performance computing is difficult is the lack of effective software tools. We believe that the lack of tools in turn is largely due to market forces rather than our inability to design and build such tools. Unfortunately, the poor availability and utilization of parallel tools hurt the entire supercomputing industry and the U.S. high performance computing initiative which is focused on applications. A disproportionate amount of resources is being spent on faster hardware and architectures, while tools are being neglected. This article introduces a taxonomy of tools, analyzes the major factors that contribute to this situation, and suggests ways that the imbalance could be redressed and the likely evolution of tools.