First released in 1994, the MPI standard is one of the most important parallel programming models for HPC applications worldwide. It provides ways to exploit the most essential feature of high-performance computing using supercomputers: the ability to break a complex problem into many smaller parts and to run these processes across large numbers of processors in parallel. Structuring and managing parallel applications is extremely complex, as many processes must be connected and integrated in a way that uses a supercomputer’s capabilities as efficiently as possible. The Message Passing Interface is a standard that enables programmers to synchronize these numerous processes and to manage communication among them. MPI has been widely adopted among programmers of high-performance computers worldwide because of its usability on most HPC hardware platforms.
Bringing together vendors, researchers, and developers from the United States and Europe, the MPI Forum formed in the early 1990s to establish a standard that could address the need for a portable and performant way to program distributed memory systems. The upcoming MPI 5.0 standard is the first major update since MPI 4.0 was released in 2021. Each new standard implements changes to address the continually evolving demands that programmers face as a result of new computer hardware and new applications of HPC.
The main feature of MPI 5.0 is the introduction of an Application Binary Interface (ABI). This step addresses the fact that as the computing industry has grown in recent years, the diversity of new technologies has increased, raising problems with compatibility. The rise of artificial intelligence has also added to this complexity. Programmers must increasingly work in different environments and combine programs created using different technologies into workflows. The addition of an ABI to MPI 5.0 will enable interoperability of MPI libraries from different MPI vendors and on different HPC platforms. In addition, it will improve portability and performance for MPI-based applications in containerized environments.
HLRS is a longtime member of the MPI Forum, having first contributed to the creation of the MPI 2.0 standard, released in 1996. Currently, Dr. Christoph Niethammer and Dr. Tobias Haas represent HLRS within the MPI Forum as chapter chairs and as members of multiple working groups. Collaborating with other members of the MPI Forum, they participate in technical aspects of MPI software implementation, gather user perspectives to identify technical problems and understand user needs, and design course content for the instruction of parallel programming using MPI.
“In a world that increasingly relies on large-scale simulations and complex AI models, parallel programming is essential,” Niethammer said. “For more than 30 years, the MPI standard has been a cornerstone of parallel programming, and is only growing in importance with the rise of artificial intelligence. The MPI Forum plays a key role in leading the continuing development of the MPI standard, and its next version will enable the computing community in science and industry to address the growing demands of modern applications.”
Following the successful MPI Forum meeting in Stuttgart, a final ratification meeting will take place in June 2025. Once ratified, MPI 5.0 will be officially published. In the meantime, the MPI Forum has already started working on future improvements to the Message Passing Interface.
— Christopher Williams
A member of the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing, HLRS is one of three German national centers for high-performance computing.
