IBM ViVA

ViVA(VirtualVectorArchitecture) is a technology fromIBMfor coupling together multiplescalarfloating point unitsto act as a singlevector processor.Certain computing tasks are more efficiently handled through vector computations where an instruction can be applied to multiple elements simultaneously, rather than the scalar approach where one instruction is applied to one piece of data at a time. This kind of technology is highly sought after for scientific computing and is IBM's answer to the vector-basedsupercomputerspioneered byCrayand that was the basis forNEC'sEarth Simulatorwhich was the fastest supercomputer in the world 2002-2004.

ViVA was developed and implemented by IBM together withNational Energy Research Scientific Computing Centerinside the Blue Planet project where they had 8 dual corePOWER5processors made into one vector processor capable of approximately 60-80GFLOPSof computing power. ViVA technology is in use in theASC Purplesupercomputer.

Where ViVA was a software implementation in high-end POWER5 based systems, the second generation,ViVA-2,is directly supported by hardware in thePOWER6processor.

References

• IBM supercomputing goes retro – CNetatarchive.today(archived 2013-01-19)
• Blue Planet: Extending IBM Power Technology and Virtual Vector Processing – NERSC
• Science-Driven System Architecture: A New Process for Leadership Class Computing – NERSC
• An eCLipz Looms on the Horizon – Real World Technologies