Ames, Iowa -- Like a jeweler, who can see through the obvious qualities of a gemstone to find the hidden and more beautiful features, the SLALOM computer program can cut through the differences in individual computer design to make a fair assessment of its performance.
The SLALOM computer program, developed by a team of Iowa State University researchers at the Ames Laboratory, helps the computer user determine which computer best fits a particular need by providing a clear picture of the true power a computer possesses.
Editors at R&D Magazine have selected SLALOM as one of this past year's most significant technological advances worldwide. Tonight (Sept. 19), SLALOM developers -- computational scientist John Gustafson, post-doctoral researcher Diane Rover (now at Michigan State University), chemist Stephen Elbert, and ISU graduate student Michael Carter -- will be given an R&D 100 award at a banquet held at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.
Development of a product like SLALOM has become a priority as computers rapidly grow more diverse. Computer designers keep finding new and creative ways to increase speed and performance in computers, but this diversity makes objective computer performance evaluation increasingly difficult.
"Billions of dollars are spent every year on high-speed computing," says Gustafson, leader of the research team and an adjunct professor of computer science at Iowa State. "It's important that we make the most informed decisions possible about what systems we want to spend that money on."
SLALOM offers a number of advantages over conventional evaluation systems. For example, instead of measuring how quickly a computer can solve a given problem, SLALOM measures how precisely a computer can solve a problem in a given amount of time.
"It's like proposing a new Olympic event called the 10-second dash," Gustafson says. "We are so used to measuring speed in terms of time that we have neglected the role of distance or work."
During an evaluation, SLALOM has the computer determine the interplay of light in a colored room. Every computer, from a desktop PC to a supercomputer, is given one minute to work out as detailed a picture of the room as it can.
"This sort of comparison is particularly important if computer buyers want to explore new approaches in computing and take advantage of the latest technological advances," says Jeff Kalb, president of MasPar, a parallel computer manufacturing company.
Another advantage is that SLALOM is scalable -- its task can be made more or less complex as changes in computer software and hardware dictate. This prevents SLALOM from showing bias toward any particular computer language, size of computer, or computer design. The program lets computer users compare, at least figuratively, apples with oranges.
"With SLALOM, you can compare a Macintosh personal computer to the fastest CRAY supercomputer and do justice to both," Gustafson says.
Since its introduction, SLALOM has become an industry standard for evaluating computers. A high rating on SLALOM is a coveted prize, and SLALOM standings are updated periodically in the computer magazine Supercomputing Review.
Ames Laboratory, a member of Iowa State's Institute for Physical Research and Technology, is a Department of Energy research laboratory operated by the university for the federal government.
NOTE: SLALOM stands for Scalable, Language-independent, Ames Laboratory One-Minute Measurement.
Contacts:
John Gustafson
Ames Lab Public Affairs and Information
The URL for this document is http://www.scl.ameslab.gov
Revised July 18, 2002