High Performance Fortran (HPF) is an extension of Fortran 90 designed to support

parallel computing Parallel computing is a type of computing, computation in which many calculations or Process (computing), processes are carried out simultaneously. Large problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which can then be solved at the same time. ...

, developed by the ''High Performance Fortran Forum'' (HPFF). The HPFF was convened and chaired by Ken Kennedy of

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. The first version of the HPF Report was published in 1993. Building on the array syntax introduced in Fortran 90, HPF employs a data-parallel model of computation, enabling the distribution of array computations across multiple processors. This design facilitates efficient execution on both

SIMD Single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) is a type of parallel computer, parallel processing in Flynn's taxonomy. SIMD describes computers with multiple processing elements that perform the same operation on multiple data points simultaneousl ...

and MIMD architectures. Key features of HPF include: * New Fortran constructs, such as FORALL, and the ability to define PURE (side-effect-free) procedures * Compiler directives for recommended array data alignment and distribution, influenced by prior efforts such as Fortran DAn overview of Fortran D
Retrieved 29 March 2023 and Vienna Fortran * Directives for specifying processor arrangements (e.g., rank, extent) * Directives for asserting loop iteration independence to enable parallel execution * An ''extrinsic procedure'' interface, allowing integration with non-HPF parallel code such as message-passing libraries * Additional library routines, including: ** Environmental inquiry functions ** Parallel prefix and suffix operations (e.g., scan, segmented scan) ** Data scattering and gathering **

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operations Some HPF capabilities were incorporated into the Fortran 95 standard. Subsequently, the HPFF reconvened and released the HPF 2.0 Report, which removed features already standardized in Fortran 95 and revised other sections based on implementation experience with HPF 1.0. Although several vendors implemented HPF compilers in the 1990s, adoption was limited due to the complexity of implementation and limited practical benefit for some applications. Since then, most developers have transitioned to using

OpenMP OpenMP is an application programming interface (API) that supports multi-platform shared-memory multiprocessing programming in C, C++, and Fortran, on many platforms, instruction-set architectures and operating systems, including Solaris, ...

for parallel programming. Nonetheless, HPF has had a lasting influence on the evolution of parallel programming in Fortran. For instance, the BIT data type proposal for the Fortran 2008 standard included several intrinsic functions derived from HPF.

External links

HPFF
-

HPF Forum
Internet Parallel Computing Archive : Standards : Hpf
* tp://ftp.fhg.de/archive/gmd/adaptor/ ADAPTOR An open-source HPF compilation system
HPF+
- HPF for advanced applications
The rise and fall of High Performance Fortran: an historical object lesson

References

{{reflist Concurrent programming languages Fortran programming language family

See also

External links

References