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At least 181 records · Page 10

Speeding up Particle Track Reconstruction in the CMS Detector using a Vectorized and Parallelized Kalman Filter Algorithm

Building particle tracks is the most computationally intense step of event reconstruction at the LHC. With the increased instantaneous luminosity and associated increase in pileup expected from the High-Luminosity LHC, the computational challenge of track finding and fitting requires novel solutions. The current track reconstruction algorithms used at the LHC are based on Kalman filter methods that achieve good physics performance. By adapting the Kalman filter techniques for use on many-core SIMD architectures such as the Intel Xeon and Intel Xeon Phi and (to a limited degree) NVIDIA GPUs, we are able to obtain significant speedups and comparable physics performance. New optimizations, including a dedicated post-processing step to remove duplicate tracks, have improved the algorithm's performance even further. Here we report on the current structure and performance of the code and future plans for the algorithm.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

A derivation and scalable implementation of the synchronous parallel kinetic Monte Carlo method for simulating long-time dynamics

Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations are used to study long-time dynamics of a wide variety of systems. Unfortunately, the conventional KMC algorithm is not scalable to larger systems, since its time scale is inversely proportional to the simulated system size. A promising approach to resolving this issue is the synchronous parallel KMC (SPKMC) algorithm, which makes the time scale size-independent. This paper introduces a formal derivation of the SPKMC algorithm based on local transition-state and time-dependent Hartree approximations, as well as its scalable parallel implementation based on a dual linked-list cell method. The resulting algorithm has achieved a weak-scaling parallel efficiency of 0.935 on 1024 Intel Xeon processors for simulating biological electron transfer dynamics in a 4.2 billion-heme system, as well as decent strong-scaling parallel efficiency. The parallel code has been used to simulate a lattice of cytochrome complexes on a bacterial-membrane nanowire, and it is broadly applicable to other problems such as computational synthesis of new materials.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Extending molecular simulation time scales: Parallel in time integrations for high-level quantum chemistry and complex force representations

Parallel in time simulation algorithms are presented and applied to conventional molecular dynamics (MD) and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) models of realistic complexity. Assuming that a forward time integrator, f (e.g., Verlet algorithm), is available to propagate the system from time t{sub i} (trajectory positions and velocities x{sub i} = (r{sub i}, v{sub i})) to time t{sub i+1} (x{sub i+1}) by x{sub i+1} = f{sub i}(x{sub i}), the dynamics problem spanning an interval from t{sub 0}…t{sub M} can be transformed into a root finding problem, F(X) = [x{sub i} − f(x{sub (i−1})]{sub i} {sub =1,M} = 0, for the trajectory variables. The root finding problem is solved using a variety of root finding techniques, including quasi-Newton and preconditioned quasi-Newton schemes that are all unconditionally convergent. The algorithms are parallelized by assigning a processor to each time-step entry in the columns of F(X). The relation of this approach to other recently proposed parallel in time methods is discussed, and the effectiveness of various approaches to solving the root finding problem is tested. We demonstrate that more efficient dynamical models based on simplified interactions or coarsening time-steps provide preconditioners for the root finding problem. However, for MD and AIMD simulations, such preconditioners are not required to obtain reasonable convergence and their cost must be considered in the performance of the algorithm. The parallel in time algorithms developed are tested by applying them to MD and AIMD simulations of size and complexity similar to those encountered in present day applications. These include a 1000 Si atom MD simulation using Stillinger-Weber potentials, and a HCl + 4H{sub 2}O AIMD simulation at the MP2 level. The maximum speedup ((serial execution time)/(parallel execution time) ) obtained by parallelizing the Stillinger-Weber MD simulation was nearly 3.0. For the AIMD MP2 simulations, the algorithms achieved speedups of up to 14.3. The parallel in time algorithms can be implemented in a distributed computing environment using very slow transmission control protocol/Internet protocol networks. Scripts written in Python that make calls to a precompiled quantum chemistry package (NWChem) are demonstrated to provide an actual speedup of 8.2 for a 2.5 ps AIMD simulation of HCl + 4H{sub 2}O at the MP2/6-31G* level. Implemented in this way these algorithms can be used for long time high-level AIMD simulations at a modest cost using machines connected by very slow networks such as WiFi, or in different time zones connected by the Internet. The algorithms can also be used with programs that are already parallel. Using these algorithms, we are able to reduce the cost of a MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p) simulation that had reached its maximum possible speedup in the parallelization of the electronic structure calculation from 32 s/time step to 6.9 s/time step.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

SQUARE: Strategic Quantum Ancilla Reuse for Modular Quantum Programs via Cost-Effective Uncomputation

Compiling high-level quantum programs to machines that are size constrained (i.e. limited number of quantum bits) and time constrained (i.e. limited number of quantum operations) is challenging. In this paper, we present SQUARE (Strategic QUantum Ancilla REuse), a compilation infrastructure that tackles allocation and reclamation of scratch qubits (called ancilla) in modular quantum programs. At its core, SQUARE strategically performs uncomputation to create opportunities for qubit reuse. Current Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers and forward-looking Fault-Tolerant (FT) quantum computers have fundamentally different constraints such as data locality, instruction parallelism, and communication overhead. Our heuristic-based ancilla-reuse algorithm balances these considerations and fits computations into resource-constrained NISQ or FT quantum machines, throttling parallelism when necessary. To precisely capture the workload of a program, we propose an improved metric, the "active quantum volume," and use this metric to evaluate the effectiveness of our algorithm. Furthermore, our results show that SQUARE improves the average success rate of NISQ applications by 1.47X. Surprisingly, the additional gates for uncomputation create ancilla with better locality, and result in substantially fewer swap gates and less gate noise overall. SQUARE also achieves an average reduction of 1.5X (and up to 9.6X) in active quantum volume for FT machines.

compiler optimization↗

Exploiting Multiple Levels of Parallelism in Sparse Matrix-Matrix Multiplication

Sparse matrix-matrix multiplication (or SpGEMM) is a key primitive for many high-performance graph algorithms as well as for some linear solvers, such as algebraic multigrid. The scaling of existing parallel implementations of SpGEMM is heavily bound by communication. Even though 3D (or 2.5D) algorithms have been proposed and theoretically analyzed in the flat MPI model on Erdös-Rényi matrices, those algorithms had not been implemented in practice and their complexities had not been analyzed for the general case. In this work, we present the first implementation of the 3D SpGEMM formulation that exploits multiple (intranode and internode) levels of parallelism, achieving significant speedups over the state-of-the-art publicly available codes at all levels of concurrencies. We extensively evaluate our implementation and identify bottlenecks that should be subject to further research.

2.5D algorithms↗

VTK-m: Accelerating the Visualization Toolkit for Massively Threaded Architectures

Execution on massively threaded processors is one of the most critical challenges for high-performance computing (HPC) scientific visualization. Of the many fundamental changes we are seeing in HPC systems, one of the most profound is a reliance on new processor types optimized for execution bandwidth over latency hiding. Moreover, our current production scientific visualization software is not designed for these new types of architectures. In order to address this issue, the VTK-m framework serves as a container for algorithms, provides flexible data representation, and simplifies the design of visualization algorithms on new and future computer architecture.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

ISMB Conference Funding to Support Attendance of Early Researchers and Students

ISMB Conference Funding for Students and Young Scientists Historical Description The Intelligent Systems for Molecular Biology (ISMB) conference has provided a general forum for disseminating the latest developments in bioinformatics on an annual basis for the past 22 years. ISMB is a multidisciplinary conference that brings together scientists from computer science, molecular biology, mathematics and statistics. The goal of the ISMB meeting is to bring together biologists and computational scientists in a focus on actual biological problems, i.e., not simply theoretical calculations. The combined focus on “intelligent systems” and actual biological data makes ISMB a unique and highly important meeting. 21 years of experience in holding the conference has resulted in a consistently well-organized, well attended, and highly respected annual conference. "Intelligent systems" include any software which goes beyond straightforward, closed-form algorithms or standard database technologies, and encompasses those that view data in a symbolic fashion, learn from examples, consolidate multiple levels of abstraction, or synthesize results to be cognitively tractable to a human, including the development and application of advanced computational methods for biological problems. Relevant computational techniques include, but are not limited to: machine learning, pattern recognition, knowledge representation, databases, combinatorics, stochastic modeling, string and graph algorithms, linguistic methods, robotics, constraint satisfaction, and parallel computation. Biological areas of interest include molecular structure, genomics, molecular sequence analysis, evolution and phylogenetics, molecular interactions, metabolic pathways, regulatory networks, developmental control, and molecular biology generally. Emphasis is placed on the validation of methods using real data sets, on practical applications in the biological sciences, and on development of novel computational techniques. The ISMB conferences are distinguished from many other conferences in computational biology or artificial intelligence by an insistence that the researchers work with real molecular biology data, not theoretical or toy examples; and from many other biological conferences by providing a forum for technical advances as they occur, which otherwise may be shunned until a firm experimental result is published. The resulting intellectual richness and cross-disciplinary diversity provides an important opportunity for both students and senior researchers. ISMB has become the premier conference series in this field with refereed, published proceedings, establishing an infrastructure to promote the growing body of research.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

A non-destructive method for crack quantification in photovoltaic backsheets under accelerated and real-world exposures

The long-term durability of photovoltaic modules is paramount for the continued growth of the industry. Polymer backsheets are of particular concern since they provide electrical insulation and an environmental barrier. In this paper, 23 freestanding, multilayer backsheets with nine unique material combinations underwent four different weathering exposures under accelerated and real-world conditions. Besides changes in color and gloss, the induced degradation included parallel or mudflat cracks on 11 backsheets, sometimes in combination with delamination or blistering. Similar degradation has been observed in previous studies and is concerning since cracks compromise the mechanical integrity and electrical safety of backsheets. Quantitative parameters are desirable to reliably classify categories of cracks and supply unbiased features for statistical analysis in predictive lifetime models. We developed an analysis technique that utilizes surface profilometry data to quantify the depth, width, area, spacing, and number of cracks. Parameters are automatically extracted from the raw data by an algorithm running on a high performance distributed computing cluster. Our algorithm excelled at characterizing parallel cracks with minimal de-adhesion, and only an estimated 4% of crack detections were false positives. The addition of humidity and temperature variation formed up to three times as many cracks on a photodose basis compared to dry, constant temperature exposures. Cracks in real-world and accelerated exposures propagated to similar depths with equivalent photodoses; however, the number of cracks formed in accelerated exposures was far greater on a photodose basis. Of samples that cracked, the best performing backsheet configuration was polyvinyl fluoride/poly (ethylene-terephthalate)/polyethylene (PVF/PET/PE) while the least durable was PET/PET/ethylene-vinyl acetate. Finally, none of the six PVF/PET/PVF backsheets cracked in any of the exposures.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DECA: scalable XHMM exome copy-number variant calling with ADAM and Apache Spark

Abstract Background XHMM is a widely used tool for copy-number variant (CNV) discovery from whole exome sequencing data but can require hours to days to run for large cohorts. A more scalable implementation would reduce the need for specialized computational resources and enable increased exploration of the configuration parameter space to obtain the best possible results. Results DECA is a horizontally scalable implementation of the XHMM algorithm using the ADAM framework and Apache Spark that incorporates novel algorithmic optimizations to eliminate unneeded computation. DECA parallelizes XHMM on both multi-core shared memory computers and large shared-nothing Spark clusters. We performed CNV discovery from the read-depth matrix in 2535 exomes in 9.3 min on a 16-core workstation (35.3× speedup vs. XHMM), 12.7 min using 10 executor cores on a Spark cluster (18.8× speedup vs. XHMM), and 9.8 min using 32 executor cores on Amazon AWS’ Elastic MapReduce. We performed CNV discovery from the original BAM files in 292 min using 640 executor cores on a Spark cluster. Conclusions We describe DECA’s performance, our algorithmic and implementation enhancements to XHMM to obtain that performance, and our lessons learned porting a complex genome analysis application to ADAM and Spark. ADAM and Apache Spark are a performant and productive platform for implementing large-scale genome analyses, but efficiently utilizing large clusters can require algorithmic optimizations and careful attention to Spark’s configuration parameters.

Linderman, Michael D. (ORCID:0000000296437148)↗

Parallel algorithms for finding connected components using linear algebra

Finding connected components is one of the most widely used operations on a graph. Optimal serial algorithms for the problem have been known for half a century, and many competing parallel algorithms have been proposed over the last several decades under various different models of parallel computation. This paper presents a class of parallel connected-component algorithms designed using linear-algebraic primitives. These algorithms are based on a PRAM algorithm by Shiloach and Vishkin and can be designed using standard GraphBLAS operations. Here, we demonstrate two algorithms of this class, one named LACC for Linear Algebraic Connected Components, and the other named FastSV which can be regarded as LACC’s simplification. With the support of the highly-scalable Combinatorial BLAS library, LACC and FastSV outperform the previous state-of-the-art algorithm by a factor of up to 12x for small to medium scale graphs. For large graphs with more than 50B edges, LACC and FastSV scale to 4K nodes (262K cores) of a Cray XC40 supercomputer and outperform previous algorithms by a significant margin. This remarkable performance is accomplished by (1) exploiting sparsity that was not present in the original PRAM algorithm formulation, (2) using high-performance primitives of Combinatorial BLAS, and (3) identifying hot spots and optimizing them away by exploiting algorithmic insights.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Π4U: A high performance computing framework for Bayesian uncertainty quantification of complex models

We present Π4U,{sup 1} an extensible framework, for non-intrusive Bayesian Uncertainty Quantification and Propagation (UQ+P) of complex and computationally demanding physical models, that can exploit massively parallel computer architectures. The framework incorporates Laplace asymptotic approximations as well as stochastic algorithms, along with distributed numerical differentiation and task-based parallelism for heterogeneous clusters. Sampling is based on the Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo (TMCMC) algorithm and its variants. The optimization tasks associated with the asymptotic approximations are treated via the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES). A modified subset simulation method is used for posterior reliability measurements of rare events. The framework accommodates scheduling of multiple physical model evaluations based on an adaptive load balancing library and shows excellent scalability. In addition to the software framework, we also provide guidelines as to the applicability and efficiency of Bayesian tools when applied to computationally demanding physical models. Theoretical and computational developments are demonstrated with applications drawn from molecular dynamics, structural dynamics and granular flow.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

GPU-accelerated regularized iterative reconstruction for few-view cone beam CT

Purpose: The present work proposes an iterative reconstruction technique designed for x-ray transmission computed tomography (CT). The main objective is to provide a model-based solution to the cone-beam CT reconstruction problem, yielding accurate low-dose images via few-views acquisitions in clinically acceptable time frames. Methods: The proposed technique combines a modified ordered subsets convex (OSC) algorithm and the total variation minimization (TV) regularization technique and is called OSC-TV. The number of subsets of each OSC iteration follows a reduction pattern in order to ensure the best performance of the regularization method. Considering the high computational cost of the algorithm, it is implemented on a graphics processing unit, using parallelization to accelerate computations. Results: The reconstructions were performed on computer-simulated as well as human pelvic cone-beam CT projection data and image quality was assessed. In terms of convergence and image quality, OSC-TV performs well in reconstruction of low-dose cone-beam CT data obtained via a few-view acquisition protocol. It compares favorably to the few-view TV-regularized projections onto convex sets (POCS-TV) algorithm. It also appears to be a viable alternative to full-dataset filtered backprojection. Execution times are of 1–2 min and are compatible with the typical clinical workflow for nonreal-time applications. Conclusions: Considering the image quality and execution times, this method may be useful for reconstruction of low-dose clinical acquisitions. It may be of particular benefit to patients who undergo multiple acquisitions by reducing the overall imaging radiation dose and associated risks.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

A spectral scheme for Kohn–Sham density functional theory of clusters

Starting from the observation that one of the most successful methods for solving the Kohn–Sham equations for periodic systems – the plane-wave method – is a spectral method based on eigenfunction expansion, we formulate a spectral method designed towards solving the Kohn–Sham equations for clusters. This allows for efficient calculation of the electronic structure of clusters (and molecules) with high accuracy and systematic convergence properties without the need for any artificial periodicity. The basis functions in this method form a complete orthonormal set and are expressible in terms of spherical harmonics and spherical Bessel functions. Computation of the occupied eigenstates of the discretized Kohn–Sham Hamiltonian is carried out using a combination of preconditioned block eigensolvers and Chebyshev polynomial filter accelerated subspace iterations. Several algorithmic and computational aspects of the method, including computation of the electrostatics terms and parallelization are discussed. We have implemented these methods and algorithms into an efficient and reliable package called ClusterES (Cluster Electronic Structure). A variety of benchmark calculations employing local and non-local pseudopotentials are carried out using our package and the results are compared to the literature. Convergence properties of the basis set are discussed through numerical examples. Computations involving large systems that contain thousands of electrons are demonstrated to highlight the efficacy of our methodology. The use of our method to study clusters with arbitrary point group symmetries is briefly discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

TorchBraid: High-Performance Layer-Parallel Training of Deep Neural Networks with MPI and GPU Acceleration

TorchBraid is a high-performance implementation of layer-parallel training for deep neural networks (DNNs) supporting MPI-based parallelism and GPU acceleration. Layer-parallel training has been developed to overcome the serialization inherent in forward and backward propagation of DNNs that limits utilization of computational resources in the strong scaling limit. To achieve this, TorchBraid integrates the PyTorch neural network framework with the state-of-the-art XBraid time-parallel library. Furthermore, this article presents the use and performance of TorchBraid, in addition to solutions for overcoming the algorithmic challenges inherent in combining automatic differentiation with layer-parallel. Results are presented with and without GPU acceleration for the Tiny ImageNet and MNIST image classification data sets, as well as recurrent neural networks. Overall, TorchBraid enables fast training of DNNs, both in a strong and weak scaling context. In addition to the TorchBraid software, several new advances in applying layer-parallel algorithms are detailed. Integration of layer-parallel with data-parallel algorithms is presented for the first time, showing the computational advantages of the combination. Standard deep learning techniques, like batch-normalization, are developed for layer-parallel training. Finally, a new approach combining layer-parallel with spatial coarsening in order to accelerate training for 3D image classification shows roughly a 10× speedup over serial execution.

Layer-parallel↗

Asynchronous distributed-memory task-parallel algorithm for compressible flows on unstructured 3D Eulerian grids

Here, we discuss the implementation of a finite element method, used to numerically solve the Euler equations of compressible flows, using an asynchronous runtime system (RTS). The algorithm is implemented for distributed-memory machines, using stationary unstructured 3D meshes, combining data-, and task-parallelism on top of the Charm++ RTS. Charm++’s execution model is asynchronous by default, allowing arbitrary overlap of computation and communication. Task-parallelism allows scheduling parts of an algorithm independently of, or dependent on, each other. Built-in automatic load balancing enables continuous redistribution of computational load by migration of work units based on real-time CPU load measurement. The RTS also features automatic checkpointing, fault tolerance, resilience against hardware failure, and supports power-, and energy-aware computation. We demonstrate scalability up to 25 x 10 9 cells at $\mathscr{O}$10 4 compute cores and the benefits of automatic load balancing for irregular workloads. The full source code with documentation is available at https://quinoacomputing.org.

42 ENGINEERING↗

WARP

WARP, which can stand for ``Weaving All the Random Particles,'' is a three-dimensional (3D) continuous energy Monte Carlo neutron transport code developed at UC Berkeley to efficiently execute on NVIDIA graphics processing unit (GPU) platforms. WARP accelerates Monte Carlo simulations while preserving the benefits of using the Monte Carlo method, namely, that very few physical and geometrical simplifications are applied. WARP is able to calculate multiplication factors, neutron flux distributions (in both space and energy), and fission source distributions for time-independent neutron transport problems. It can run in both criticality or fixed source modes, but fixed source mode is currently not robust, optimized, or maintained in the newest version. WARP can transport neutrons in unrestricted arrangements of parallelepipeds, hexagonal prisms, cylinders, and spheres. The goal of developing WARP is to investigate algorithms that can grow into a full-featured, continuous energy, Monte Carlo neutron transport code that is accelerated by running on GPUs. The crux of the effort is to make Monte Carlo calculations faster while producing accurate results. Modern supercomputers are commonly being built with GPU coprocessor cards in their nodes to increase their computational efficiency and performance. GPUs execute efficiently on data-parallel problems, but most CPU codes, including those for Monte Carlo neutral particle transport, are predominantly task-parallel. WARP uses a data-parallel neutron transport algorithm to take advantage of the computing power GPUs offer.

Bergmann, RyanM. [University of California - Berke↗

WARP

WARP, which can stand for ``Weaving All the Random Particles,'' is a three-dimensional (3D) continuous energy Monte Carlo neutron transport code developed at UC Berkeley to efficiently execute on NVIDIA graphics processing unit (GPU) platforms. WARP accelerates Monte Carlo simulations while preserving the benefits of using the Monte Carlo method, namely, that very few physical and geometrical simplifications are applied. WARP is able to calculate multiplication factors, neutron flux distributions (in both space and energy), and fission source distributions for time-independent neutron transport problems. It can run in both criticality or fixed source modes, but fixed source mode is currently not robust, optimized, or maintained in the newest version. WARP can transport neutrons in unrestricted arrangements of parallelepipeds, hexagonal prisms, cylinders, and spheres. The goal of developing WARP is to investigate algorithms that can grow into a full-featured, continuous energy, Monte Carlo neutron transport code that is accelerated by running on GPUs. The crux of the effort is to make Monte Carlo calculations faster while producing accurate results. Modern supercomputers are commonly being built with GPU coprocessor cards in their nodes to increase their computational efficiency and performance. GPUs execute efficiently on data-parallel problems, but most CPU codes, including those for Monte Carlo neutral particle transport, are predominantly task-parallel. WARP uses a data-parallel neutron transport algorithm to take advantage of the computing power GPUs offer.

Bergmann, Ryan M.↗