Direct approaches to exploit many-core architecture in bioinformatics

Current trends in computer programming look for solutions in the challenging task of porting and optimizing existing algorithms to many-core architectures with tens of Central Processing Units (CPUs). Yet, the lack of standardized general-purpose parallel programming and porting methodologies represents the main bottleneck on these developments. We have focused on bioinformatics applied to genomics in general and the so-called >Next-Generation> Sequencing (NGS) in particular, in order to study the viability and cost of porting and optimizing well known algorithms to a many-core architecture. Three different methods are tackled in order to implement existing algorithms in Tile64, corresponding to a microprocessor containing 64 CPUs, each of them being capable of executing an independent Linux operating system. Three different approaches have been explored: (i) implementation of the Needleman-Wunsch/Smith-Waterman pairwise aligner from scratch; (ii) direct translation of the Message Passing Interface (MPI) C++ ABySS assembly algorithm with changes on the communication layer; and (iii) migration of the ClustalW tool, parallelizing only the most time-consuming stage. The performance-gain/development-cost tradeoffs indicate that the Tile64 microprocessor has the potential to increase the performance of bioinformatics in an unprecedented way for a standalone Personal Computer (PC). Yet, the effective exploitation of these parallel implementations requires a detailed understanding of the peculiar many-core characteristics when migrating previous non-parallel source codes. © 010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Esteban, Francisco J., Hernández Molina, Pilar, Caballero, Juan Antonio, Dorado, Gabriel, Gálvez, Sergio
Other Authors: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
Format: artículo biblioteca
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2013-01
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/87390
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004837
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100011011
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Summary:Current trends in computer programming look for solutions in the challenging task of porting and optimizing existing algorithms to many-core architectures with tens of Central Processing Units (CPUs). Yet, the lack of standardized general-purpose parallel programming and porting methodologies represents the main bottleneck on these developments. We have focused on bioinformatics applied to genomics in general and the so-called >Next-Generation> Sequencing (NGS) in particular, in order to study the viability and cost of porting and optimizing well known algorithms to a many-core architecture. Three different methods are tackled in order to implement existing algorithms in Tile64, corresponding to a microprocessor containing 64 CPUs, each of them being capable of executing an independent Linux operating system. Three different approaches have been explored: (i) implementation of the Needleman-Wunsch/Smith-Waterman pairwise aligner from scratch; (ii) direct translation of the Message Passing Interface (MPI) C++ ABySS assembly algorithm with changes on the communication layer; and (iii) migration of the ClustalW tool, parallelizing only the most time-consuming stage. The performance-gain/development-cost tradeoffs indicate that the Tile64 microprocessor has the potential to increase the performance of bioinformatics in an unprecedented way for a standalone Personal Computer (PC). Yet, the effective exploitation of these parallel implementations requires a detailed understanding of the peculiar many-core characteristics when migrating previous non-parallel source codes. © 010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.