Subject: Proposal for Java Grande Panel at SC99

From: Ronald F Boisvert <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 17:26:04 -0400

Attached is a draft proposal for a Java Grande Panel at SC99.  This
is due on April 30, so it will be submitted tomorrow afternoon.  If
anyone has any suggestions for additional topic areas, speakers, or
even a snappier title, please get them to me ASAP.  (Details can be
refined later of course.)

Ron Boisvert

=====================================================================

PANEL TITLE : Java Grande: The Role of Java in High Performance Computing

SPONSOR : The Java Grande Forum (http://www.javagrande.org)

CONTACTS : Geoffrey Fox
           Director, Northeast Parallel Architectures Center
           Syracuse University
           [email-masked] (http://www.npac.syr.edu/users/gcf/homepage/

           Ronald F. Boisvert
           Chief, Mathematical and Computational Sciences Division
           National Institute of Standards and Technology
           [email-masked] (http://math.nist.gov/~RBoisvert/)

ABSTRACT

This panel will review the recent progress of the Java Grande Forum
(JGF).  The JGF is an open forum with industrial, academic and government
participants motivated by the notion that Java could be the best possible
development environment for "grande" applications.  Grande applications are
those demanding significant computing resources; they include classic high
performance numerical computing such as fluid dynamics simulations, but
also problems such as data mining and analysis, where large-scale I/O and
network access is required.  Java's potential is based on its high degree
of portability, its network-aware environment, its vast array of utilities
and services, and its widespread acceptance.  There are now early signs
that Java performance need not be lackluster: codes showing performance
in the range of 50-90% of optimized Fortran or C have been demonstrated.
Nevertheless, routine success for grande applications will only be realized
if significant extensions to the Java language and platform are adopted.

The major goal of the JGF is to assess that status of Java for grande
applications, to clearly articulate community requirements, and to provide
proposals for extensions.  The JGF has two major units: the Numerics Working
Group, and the Concurrency and Applications Working Group.  The JGF and its
working groups host open meetings, and develop reports, benchmark suites, and
prototype class libraries.  The JGF Web page is at http://www.javagrande.org/.

The two Java Grande panels at SC98 were very successful, attracting 100-200
attendees in spite of a less than optimal time slot.  A similar turnout
was seen at the SC97 BOF on this topic.  This indicates high interest in
this area among SCxx attendees.

Among the topics which will be discussed at the SC99 panel are:

* Recent and pending changes to the Java language to support efficient
  numerical computation
* Results of Java benchmarking efforts from numerical kernels to 
  prototype applications
* High-performance Java compilation techniques
* Java frameworks for parallel and distributed computing
* Java frameworks for desktop access to remote resources 

PARTICIPANTS

Presentators will be selected from the following list. In addition, this
group will serve as an organizing committee to invite two other speakers
of current interest.  These will be determined by August 15.

Geoffrey Fox (JGF Academic Coordinator), Syracuse University
Ronald Boisvert (Co-chair JGF Numerics Working Group), NIST
Roldan Pozo (Co-chair JGF Numerics Working Group), NIST
Dennis Gannon (Co-chair JGF Concurrency Working Group), University of Indiana
Denis Caromel (Co-chair JGF Concurrency Working Group), INRIA
Siamak Hassanzaheh (JGF Industru Coordinator), Sun Microsystems
Gregor von Laszewski, Argonne National Laboratory
Marc Snir, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
Jack Dongarra, University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Oak Ridge Natl Lab

TENTATIVE AGENDA (based on 90 minute slot)

(1) Overview [5 min]
(2) Numerics Working Group [15 min]
(3) Concurrency Working Group [15 min]
(4) Invited talk 1 [20 min]
(5) Invited talk 2 [20 min]
(6) Discussion [15 min]