HPC in the cloud? Not so much

Supercomputing types not caught by the fluff

Here’s a great blog (“Elite HPC and the Cloud Culture Clash”) discussing how much – well, actually, how little – the current hype behind cloud computing is swaying folks at large supercomputing sites.

In the article, Nicole Hemsoth correctly identifies cloud computing as more of a business model than radical new technology. She also hits on the fact that the major concern of HPC is the “P”, meaning performance – something that the cloud model doesn’t offer at this point… not when compared with owning your own gear.

Aside from performance, I do think that at least some potential HPC cloud users will be concerned about protecting their data, algorithms, and results. As I read the article, I found my head nodding in agreement throughout. And to think that we’d find such an evenhanded discussion of HPC clouds in a publication entitled HPC In The Cloud… kudos to them for publishing it.

(This is the first time I’ve used the word ‘kudos’, and I don’t like it. Makes me feel like I’m ghostwriting Larry King’s old USA Today column. Don’t let me do it again.) ®