The Parallel Paths to Perfect Processing

Behind the scenes of any major industry, there is intense competition to see who will reach the next stage of development first, and thus be able to dominate the market. This is particularly true of rapidly evolving industries such as computer manufacture and design.

Today, the race is on to perfect a new range of fifth generation parallel computers which can be made available to a wider user market.

Conventional computers, whether PC's or mainframe, have a von Neumann architecture based around a central processing unit, with all data going through that unit. But parallel computers have a completely different architecture based on two or more CPUs. Some parallel computers have thousands.

The advantage of this type of multi-processor design is that different CPUs can be assigned separate tasks. Then the relevant sub-calculations can be brought together to produce the desired result.

The effect is of a much faster and more powerful computer, at a fraction of the size of a conventional mainframe.

At the moment parallel computers are quite expensive, because they are still very much at the research and development stage. Over the next 5 years, however, we can expect a rapid fall in the cost of parallel machines, and their availability to a wider range of users.

Already there are parallel computers selling for as little as Ј 10,000 from the US companies Masscomp, Ametek and Apollo. At the top of the market, a parallel computer could cost as much as Ј million. There are also high running costs from employing specialised technicians and programmers. At the moment, therefore, customers for such companies are primarily major research establishments, government departments and defence installations.

But why should the computing industry be interested in bringing this power to a wider user group?

The answer is that many of the most exciting uses for computers still require large, fast and powerful mainframes.

These uses include image processing, speech recognition, machine translation and the more sophisticated expert systems. For example, an image processor simulating sophisticated changing cell formations would take the equivalent computing power of a hundred ВВС micros working for many years. It can be achieved on a small parallel computer in a few minutes.

4) Answer the following questions.

1. What kind of competition is there behind the scenes of every big industry?

2. What race is on in computer manufacture?

3. What are conventional computers based on?

4. What are parallel computers based on?

5. What is the advantage of a parallel computer?

6. Why are parallel computers very expensive?

7. Who buys parallel computers now?

5) Please, put all the information you have found out, to form a short piece of writing. This is the plan to follow:

1. Introduction.

2. Body: a) advantages and disadvantages of conventional computers. b) advantages and disadvantages of parallel computers.

3. Conclusion.

Use such expressions as: for example, on the contrary, at the same time, on the one hand, on the other hand, in fact, in spite of, because of, as a result, for that reason, so, consequently.

6) Read and translate the second part of the text

Parallel machines and new languages such as Occam are being developed for immediate use, not just for theory and research. In fact, the new computer architectures comprise a substantial part of most contemporary computing degree courses. Also, programming languages such as Lisp and Prolog, which are more suitable for fifth generation machines, are already replacing the more conventional structured languages taught on such courses, such as Pascal and C.

Simon Peyton-Jones, lecturer and researcher in parallel computer technology at University College, London, says "Personal computers revolutionised the industry, now parallel computers will do it again."

University College is funded by the Government, through the Alvey project, and by commercial organisations such as High Level Hardware and ICL, to maintain a UK candidate in the race for a functional parallel computer. It is called Grip from Graph Reduction in Parallel, but is only a part of the wider Alvey 5 year research project on fifth generation computers. Grip has over 100 processors, and it is hoped that a working prototype will be available for 1987.

All countries with a major computing industry are heavily involved in the race. The Japanese fifth generation research project, ICOT, started 5 years ago, and is scheduled to run another 5 years. The US Strategic Computing Initiative is funded for Ј 600 million by the Ministry of Defense, and the European Community's Esprit project is funded for Ј 1.3 billion. But, ultimately, it is the talent of the

individual researchers that will win the race, not the funding made available. From this standpoint, we think the UK is relatively well equipped.

Users will always expand their requirements to use the power of the machines made available to them. In the not too distant future, parallel computer technology may make sophisticated expert systems, and natural language processors as commonplace on micros as word processors and spreadsheets are today. And by the end of the decade, Parallel machines and the languages that run on them will un­doubtedly have come to the fore.

7) Translate the following sentences paying attention to the use of "that".

1. It is hoped that a working prototype will be available for 1987.

2. It is the talent of the individual researchers that will win the race.

3. Parallel machines and the languages that run on them will undoubtedly have come to the fore.

8) Translate the following sentences paying attention to the "Passive Voice".

1. Parallel machines are being developed for immediate use.

2. University College is funded by the Government.

3. The Japanese fifth generation research project is scheduled to run another 5 years.

4. All countries are heavily involved in the race.

5. It is hoped that a working prototype will be worked out in some years.

9) Answer the following questions.

1. What programming languages are replacing the more conventional structured languages?

2. What does Simon Peyton-Jones think about Personal computers?

3. When did the Japanese fifth generation project start?

4. What do you think of the talent of individual researchers?

10) What is the main idea of the whole text «Parallel Paths to Perfect Processing"?

11) Give a short summary of the text.