Optiwave

OptiFDTD: Multicore and Multiprocessor Support

Advances in parallel computing CPU architechture greatly benefit OptiFDTD simulations which can harness each core and processor reducing simulation times by an order of magnitude.

Why Multicore?

The FDTD method requires the entire computational domain be gridded, and the grid spatial discretization must be sufficiently fine to resolve both the smallest electromagnetic wavelength and the smallest geometrical feature in the model. Very large computational domains can be developed, which results in very long solution times.

New advances in computing technology harness the benefits of parallelized computing. Today users can run complex FDTD simulations in a fraction of the time on a muticore CPU (i.e. Intel Xeon Quad Core) without sacrificing accuracy.

For a current listing of CPU benchmarks, please visit: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

Why Multiprocessor?

Today's processors feature mutiple cores on one CPU to faciliate parallel computing. However, users can now take advantage of motherboards which support multiple-CPUs on the same board. For example, if a user decides to purchase two Intel Quad core extreme processors to run on one motherboard which supports the dual processor feature, the full eight (8) cores can now be dedicated to the FDTD simulation, reducing simulation time.