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JOURNALS // Program Systems: Theory and Applications // Archive

Program Systems: Theory and Applications, 2022 Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages 63–129 (Mi ps391)

This article is cited in 1 paper

Hardware, software and distributed supercomputer systems

Modern server ARM processors for supercomputers: A64FX and others. Initial data of benchmarks

M. B. Kuzminsky

Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of RAS, Moscow, Russia

Abstract: A comparative analysis of the performance of ARM server processors used on supercomputers or also aimed at high-performance computing (HPC) is given. Fujitsu A64FX, Marvell ThunderX2 and Huawei Kunpeng 920 were selected for the initial performance analysis. The HPC performance review focuses primarily on benchmarks and applications for the A64FX, which supports longer vectors than other ARM processors and has higher peak performance. The performance of the A64FX is compared against corresponding data for Intel Xeon Skylake and Cascade Lake, and AMD EPYC with Zen 2 and 3 (Roma and Milan), as well as Nvidia V100 and A100 GPUs. A short set of potential pros and cons of the A64FX microarchitecture has been formulated. Comparison of performance data obtained using different compilers for A64FX. Features have been formed when A64FX usually gives advantages in performance over x86-64, and when it concedes to x86-64.
There is supposition that x86-64 hegemony in HPC will decrease, and it is clear that the use of A64FX in supercomputers could grow further. But the analysis of A64FX and new AArCh64 processors expected in the near future showed that A64FX will not necessarily lead in this process.

Key words and phrases: ARM, A64FX, x86-64, high performance computing, supercomputers, benchmarks.

UDC: 004.272+004.382.2+004.42+004.4‘2
BBK: 32.971.321.1

MSC: Primary 65Y05; Secondary 68M20

Received: 17.12.2021
Accepted: 22.02.2022

DOI: 10.25209/2079-3316-2022-13-1-63-129


 English version:
, 2022, 13:1, 131–194


© Steklov Math. Inst. of RAS, 2024