Elements of HPC – Structure
Introduction to HPC
- What is High Performance Computing (HPC)?
- Answers the questions: What is HPC and why it is needed?
- General introduction to subject, whole course in a nutshell
- Introduction video
- Maybe a picture/diagram showing the key components of HPC
- Some central terms explained
- How HPC has changed the world?
- Concrete examples described in easily understandable manner
- Application areas of HPC
Exam (5-10 questions), 80 % correct to pass, multiple attempts allowed
Solving problems with HPC – parallel computing
- What kind of problems are ideal for HPC?
- Autopsy of a modern supercomputer: concepts and components, maybe some enlightening pictures also
- GPUs vs CPUs
- Computing in parallel
- Concepts
- Parallel sum
Exam (5-10 questions), 80 % correct to pass, multiple attempts allowed
Supercomputer infrastructure
- Supercomputer performance
- Brief history of supercomputing
- State-of-the-art supercomputers
- Supercomputing and cloud computing (mahdollisesti edelliseen lukuun)
- Data storage
- Energy and cooling
- Introduction to LUMI
Exam (5-10 questions), 80 % correct to pass, multiple attempts allowed
Offering and using supercomputer services?
- What is needed from HPC centers?
- How to use a supercomputer?
- Operating systems in supercomputer
- HPC programming languages
- How to buy a supercomputer
Exam (5-10 questions), 80 % correct to pass, multiple attempts allowed
Technical aspects of parallel computing
- Parallelization levels
- Memory hierarchy
- Shared memory computer
- Distributed memory computer
Exam (5-10 questions), 80 % correct to pass, multiple attempts allowed
Wrap-up
- Short summary of the course using text, storytelling, figures and video
Final exam (10 questions), 80 % correct to pass, multiple attempts allowed
Remark! Final exam is not mandatory. Many high-quality online courses do not include a final exam.
Many high-quality online courses, such as Elements of AI or Coursera’s Machine learning, does not include final exam. The final exam could be problem for those who complete the course in small pieces during a long period of time.