* [Topics](/en/topics "Topics") * [Linux](/en/topics/linux "Linux") * What is high performance computing (HPC)? What is high performance computing (HPC)? ========================================= Published November 5, 2022•*3*-minute read Copy URL Jump to section --------------- OverviewWhat is a supercomputer?HPC use casesHPC in the cloudRed Hat supports HPC Overview -------- High performance computing (HPC) generally refers to processing complex calculations at high speeds across multiple servers in parallel. Those groups of servers are known as clusters and are composed of hundreds or even thousands of compute servers that have been connected through a network. In an HPC cluster, each component computer is often referred to as a node. HPC clusters run batches of computations. The core of any HPC cluster is the scheduler, used to keep track of available resources, allowing job requests to be efficiently assigned to various compute resources (CPU and GPU) via fast network. A typical HPC solution has 3 main components: * Compute * Network * Storage HPC solutions can be deployed on-premise, at the [edge](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-edge-computing), or even in the [cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing). What is a supercomputer? ------------------------ A supercomputer is made up of thousands of compute nodes that work together to complete tasks. While historically "supercomputers" were single super fast machines, current high performance computers are built using massive clusters of servers with one or more central processing units (CPUs). The supercomputers of today are aggregating computing power to deliver significantly higher performance than single desktops or servers and are used for solving complex problems in engineering, science, and business. By applying more compute power with HPC, data-intensive problems can be run using larger datasets, in the same amount of time. This ability allows problems to be described and examined at higher resolution, larger scale, or with more elements. HPC solutions require an operating system in order to run. [LinuxⓇ](/en/topics/linux/what-is-linux)is the dominant operating system for high performance computing, according to TOP500 list that keeps track of world’s most powerful computer systems. All [TOP500 supercomputers](https://www.top500.org/lists/top500/2021/06/) run Linux, and many in the top 10 run [Red HatⓇ Enterprise Linux](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux). [Read more about Red Hat's HPC portfolio](/en/products/high-performance-computing "product | high performance computing with red hat") Red Hat resources ----------------- [Keep reading](/en/resources "Keep reading") What can you do with HPC? ------------------------- With the increased use of technologies like the [Internet of Things (IoT),](/en/topics/internet-of-things/what-is-iot) artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML), organizations are producing huge quantities of data, and they need to be able to [process and use that data more quickly](/en/topics/linux/ARM-vs-x86) in real-time. HPC is is now running anywhere from cloud to the edge, and can be applied to a wide scope of problems—and across industries such as science, healthcare, and engineering—due to its ability to solve large-scale computational problems within reasonable time and cost parameters. To power increasingly sophisticated algorithms, high-performance data analysis (HPDA) has emerged as a new segment that applies the resources of HPC to [big data](/en/topics/big-data). In addition, supercomputing is enabling deep learning and neural networks to advance artificial intelligence. HPC can also be applied in other industries and use cases, such as government and academic research, [high-performance graphics](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/workstations), biosciences, genomics, manufacturing, financial services and banking, geoscience, and media. HPC in the cloud ---------------- The compute resources needed to analyze big data and solve complex problems are expanding beyond the on-premise compute clusters in the datacenter that are typically associated with HPC and into the resources available from [public cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-public-cloud) services. Cloud adoption for HPC is central to the transition of workloads from an on-premise-only approach to one that is decoupled from specific infrastructure or location. Cloud computing allows resources to be available on demand, which can be cost-effective and allow for greater flexibility to run HPC workloads. The adoption of [container technologies](/en/topics/containers) has also gained momentum in HPC. Containers are designed to be lightweight and enable flexibility with low levels of overhead—improving performance and cost. Containers also help to meet the requirements of many HPC applications, such as scalability, reliability, [automation](/en/topics/automation/what-is-it-automation), and [security](/en/topics/security). The ability to package application code, its dependencies and even user data, combined with the demand to simplify sharing of scientific research and findings with a global community across multiple locations, as well as the ability to migrate said applications into public or hybrid clouds, make containers very relevant for HPC environments. By using containers to deploy HPC apps and workloads in the cloud, you are not tied to a specific HPC system or cloud provider. High performance computing with Red Hat --------------------------------------- [Red Hat Enterprise Linux](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux) provides a platform that delivers reliability and efficiency to HPC workloads at scale for on-premise, in the cloud, or in hybrid HPC environments. Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides a range of container tools, delivering enhanced portability and reproducibility for HPC workloads. [Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® for Workstations](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/workstations), a variant of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, is optimized for high-performance graphics, animation, and scientific activities. It is also available on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud ([GRID driver](https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-lacci2zzxcd7e) and [TESLA driver](https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-npe75yf66owc4)), delivered via [NICE DCV](https://aws.amazon.com/hpc/dcv/), a high-performance remote display protocol with enhanced security components. [Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift) is an enterprise container orchestration platform that extends Kubernetes capabilities and provides consistent operations and application life cycle management at scale using flexible topology options to support low-latency workloads anywhere. The official Red Hat blog ------------------------- Get the latest information about our ecosystem of customers, partners, and communities. [Keep reading](/en/blog "The official Red Hat blog") All Red Hat product trials -------------------------- Our no-cost product trials help you gain hands-on experience, prepare for a certification, or assess if a product is right for your organization. [Keep reading](/en/products/trials "All Red Hat product trials") Keep reading ------------ ### Why run Linux on AWS? For organizations using Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linux shortens time to market, reduces complexity, provides on-demand scalability, and lowers costs. [Read the article](/en/topics/linux/linux-on-aws "article | Why run Linux on AWS?") ### What is high availability? High availability determines if a system is meeting its operational performance level, is available almost 100% of the time, and is performant for an established time period. [Read the article](/en/topics/linux/what-is-high-availability "article | What is high availability") ### What is ERP? Enterprise resource planning (ERP) unifies the massive amounts of data within an organization, and enables information flow between different teams. [Read the article](/en/topics/linux/what-is-erp "article | What is ERP?") Linux resources --------------- ### Related content * E-book [Automatización de Red Hat Enterprise Linux](/en/engage/automate-red-hat-enterprise-linux-ebook) * Blog post [Why should your organization standardize on Red Hat Enterprise Linux today?](/en/blog/why-should-your-organization-standardize-red-hat-enterprise-linux-today) * Blog post [RPM and DNF features and enhancements in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.1](/en/blog/rpm-and-dnf-features-and-enhancements-red-hat-enterprise-linux-101) * Blog post [More than meets the eye: Behind the scenes of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 (Part 4)](/en/blog/more-meets-eye-behind-scenes-red-hat-enterprise-linux-10-part-4) ### Related articles * [Red Hat Enterprise Linux security](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/security) * [Why run Linux on AWS?](/en/topics/linux/linux-on-aws) * [What is high availability?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-high-availability) * [What is ERP?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-erp) * [Functional safety and continuous certification on Linux](/en/topics/open-source/functional-safety-and-continuous-certification-on-linux) * [What is SAP HANA (and why does it run on Linux)?](/en/topics/linux/sap-hana-and-linux) * [Why run Linux on IBM Cloud](/en/topics/linux/linux-on-ibm-cloud) * [What is CentOS Stream?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-centos-stream) * [Why choose Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Azure?](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/why-choose-red-hat-enterprise-linux-on-azure) * [Why choose Red Hat Enterprise Linux on AWS?](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/why-choose-red-hat-enterprise-linux-on-aws) * [Linux on Azure](/en/topics/linux/linux-on-azure) * [Linux for cloud computing](/en/topics/linux/linux-for-cloud-computing) * [Red Hat Enterprise Linux migration process](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/migration-process) * [What to know about CentOS Linux EOL](/en/topics/linux/centos-linux-eol) * [Why choose Red Hat for Linux?](/en/topics/linux/why-choose-red-hat-enterprise-linux) * [What to know for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 End of Maintenance](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/rhel-7-end-of-maintenance) * [What is CentOS?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-centos) * [How to move to Red Hat Enterprise Linux from other Linux distros](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/migration-process/convert2rhel) * [Why run Linux on Google Cloud?](/en/topics/linux/linux-on-google-cloud) * [Red Hat Satellite on Red Hat Enterprise Linux](/en/technologies/management/satellite/satellite-for-rhel) * [Why choose Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Google Cloud?](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/why-choose-red-hat-enterprise-linux-google-cloud) * [What is Linux kernel live patching?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-linux-kernel-live-patching) * [What is the SAP HANA migration?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-sap-hana-migration) * [Why run Microsoft SQL Server on Linux?](/en/topics/linux/why-run-sql-server-on-linux) * [What's the best Linux distro for you?](/en/topics/linux/whats-the-best-linux-distro-for-you) * [What's the difference between Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux](/en/topics/linux/fedora-vs-red-hat-enterprise-linux) * [What is Linux?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-linux) * [What is an image builder?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-an-image-builder) * [What is a Linux server?](/en/topics/linux/linux-server) * [What is a configuration file?](/en/topics/linux/what-configuration-file) * [What is a golden image?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-a-golden-image) * [ARM vs x86: What's the difference?](/en/topics/linux/ARM-vs-x86) * [What is an ARM processor?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-arm-processor) * [What is lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) authentication?](/en/topics/security/what-is-ldap-authentication) * [What is MPLS?](/en/topics/edge-computing/what-is-mpls) * [What is a Linux certification?](/en/topics/linux/linux-certification) * [What was CoreOS and CoreOS container Linux](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/what-was-coreos) * [What is SELinux?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-selinux) * [What is the Linux kernel?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-the-linux-kernel) [More about this topic](/en/topics/linux "More about this topic")