Panel: Software and Hardware Support for Programming Heterogeneous Memory
2019
Summary form only given, as follows. A complete record of the panel discussion was not made available for publication as part of the conference proceedings. Usability and programmability of complex and heterogeneous memory systems remain significant challenges facing the HPC and data analytics communities. Existing memory systems that include DRAM, SRAM, discrete memory, software unified memory, and distributed memory are difficult to exploit while maintaining portable performance. Approaches include programming language constructs and runtime libraries, OS enhancements, and even hardware mechanisms to enable the competing goals of programmability and portability. We would like the panel to address challenges and solutions that address the problems of maintaining portability in applications that must navigate the complex memory hierarchy without sacrificing performance and capability.