Intel® Software Network

Competition is very intense in the software market, and technology is ever changing. In this current, fast-paced computing environment, faster software is a competitive advantage. Getting results faster can often be accomplished by running your application in parallel on multiple processors. The Intel® Parallel Application Center (PAC) offers a range of services, designed to meet the needs of application developers targeting multiprocessor systems and clusters. Below are some of the specific services offered by the PAC:

• Serial to parallel code migration on IA-platforms. In the hands of our experts, threading and parallelization of applications can take as little as a few weeks, less than the time normally required to learn the basics of parallel programming.
• Parallel programming training. If you would prefer to integrate parallelism into your applications, our parallel application engineers can train your development teams to give them the appropriate programming knowledge and skills.
• Identify parallel performance bottlenecks and hot spots in your code. Our parallel programming specialists use Intel's software tools to get the most cost-effective performance out of your application whether it uses threads or message-passing.
• Assess the thread-safety of your library and correct errors. PAC engineers can use Intel® software tools to identify and locate threading errors in your applications and libraries, as well as potential conflicts from use of third-party libraries.
• Training on parallel performance and correctness tools. Training can be given to your engineering team members on the effective use of Intel software tools in order for them to tune and optimize future parallel applications.

The PAC provides an excellent opportunity to work side by side with skilled engineers who understand both parallel hardware and software technologies and know how to combine the two for maximum results. In the "PAC Visit" program, software developers can bring application source code into the high-security environment of the PAC Labs for one to two weeks of intense analysis, performance measurement, and optimization for efficient use of parallel hardware. PAC Visit participants will not only learn about current Intel architectures, they will also gain an advanced understanding of parallel programming methods that would otherwise take much longer to develop and absorb. An essential part of the visit will be hands-on training and experience with state-of-the-art parallel performance and correctness tools to analyze and optimize code. Because they will be working with a familiar application, participants will not only be equipped to use these tools on future projects, but will also be able to make parallel optimizations in the given application for increased performance on multiprocessor systems.

Often, the most expensive aspect of parallel programming is the cost of learning the nuances of a new parallel model. The PAC QuickStart puts the industry's best parallel programming tools and the resources of Intel at your disposal, drastically shortening your time to market with a parallel solution. The program combines use of our most popular parallel programming tools with a period of intense technical support and application consulting to deliver a rapid path to parallelism.

The three-month PAC QuickStart program combines these tools and services:

• One three-month license for the appropriate Intel software tools (Intel Threading Tools or Intel Cluster Tools)
• Application consulting to assess the potential for parallelism from Intel parallel applications engineers
• Intense parallel programming support during the three-month period
• Enhanced technical assistance in using Intel software tools for your application
• Assistance, when needed, to debug and tune the resulting parallel application

If you are interested in taking advantage of any of the services from the Intel Parallel Applications Centers in either Champaign, IL, or Bruehl, Germany, or to find out more about multithreaded or parallel programming on IA-based platforms and clusters, please contact Michael D'mello ( michael.d'mello@intel.com), Intel PAC Manager.