What is High-Performance Computing (HPC)?
High-performance computing (HPC) refers to the use of many computers and storage devices working together to accomplish the same tasks. This allows the cohesive whole to deliver a much higher degree of processing power and speed compared to traditional computing. HPC, or supercomputing, makes it possible to solve complex and performance-intensive problems—and organizations are increasingly moving HPC workloads to the cloud. Using HPC in the cloud fundamentally alters product development economics as it can help companies to reduce prototyping costs, accelerate testing cycles, and decrease time-to-market. To understand how HPC in the cloud can benefit product development in your business, please take a look at IT Support Vermont.
How Does HPC Work?
A high-performance computing (HPC) architecture uses multiple computer servers that are networked to form a cluster. Algorithms and software programs run concurrently on the servers in the cluster. To get results, the cluster is networked with data storage. These modules function together to complete different tasks. Each module must keep up with the other as otherwise, the performance of the entire architecture will suffer.
Benefits of High-Performance Computing

High-performance computing (HPC) is a term used to describe the use of large amounts of data, high-performance computers, and software to solve complex problems. It’s an important part of modern life and business—from medicine, finance, and manufacturing. Here are some examples of how HPC can be used:
Saves Money
The benefits of HPC are not limited to the scientific community. Many industries, including healthcare and automotive, can also benefit from high-performance computing. For instance, by using HPC simulations of crash-test dummies instead of physical tests on living subjects, car manufacturers can save money on their research and development budget as well as on human lives. In addition to saving money in terms of R&D costs and avoiding human casualties, car manufacturers will be able to decrease their environmental impact due to fewer physical tests being conducted with each model’s release cycle.
Another example is in healthcare: doctors may use HPC simulations to determine how an infection spreads through the body without resorting to human trials—an expensive undertaking that could result in wasted resources if not done correctly or efficiently enough (which would also put these patients at risk).
Streamline Business Processes
HPC is the perfect tool for streamlining business processes. HPC can help with process optimization, process automation, process improvement, and even innovation in some cases. The benefits of high-performance computing are not just limited to the software and systems that run on it. HPC can also be used as a management tool for processes in your organization.
High-performance computing has been used as a management tool by many companies, including:
- Google and Facebook use it to manage their massive data centers (servers and storage)
- IBM uses it to manage their supply chain logistics
High Accessibility
HPC is available from anywhere. If a researcher wants to access HPC at their home office, they can do so. If they want to access HPC on the go, they can do that as well. If a researcher lives in another country and needs access to high-performance computing resources, there are many ways of doing so. The accessibility of high-performance computing makes it easy for researchers in all fields of study to get the most out of their work.
Reduced physical testing
High-performance computing can be used to reduce the need for physical testing. It can be used to test new designs, materials, and manufacturing techniques. This is particularly useful for companies that do not have access to a full-scale wind tunnel or those that wish to avoid the high costs associated with physical testing.
High-performance computing has been used in many industries including aerospace, automotive, and defense since its inception in the 1950s. Today, it is an integral tool in research labs around the world. To understand the applications of high-performance computing in detail, please refer to IT Outsourcing Vermont.
Speed
Speed is the primary benefit of HPC because it allows you to run calculations and simulations that would take a very long time on a regular computer. HPC systems use parallel computing to complete tasks much faster than they would on one processor alone. A single HPC system can have hundreds or even thousands of processors running simultaneously so that the task can be completed in an extremely short amount of time. The speed at which these machines operate is measured in FLOPS (floating point operations per second), but more commonly referred to as teraFLOPS (trillions of FLOPS), petaFLOPS (quadrillions of FLOPS), and exaFLOPS (quintillions). To know more about relevant applications of HPC for your business, please reach out to the experts at Managed IT Services Vermont.