Workstation Performance Characterization Group becomes part of SPEC/GWPG
A new Workstation Performance Characterization (SPECwpc) project group has become part of SPEC’s Graphics and Workstation Performance Group (SPEC/GWPG). SPECwpc now joins two other benchmarking project groups -- SPECapc and SPECgpc -- operating under the SPEC/GWPG umbrella.
SPECwpc is creating a benchmark that measures the performance of workstations running algorithms used in popular applications, but without requiring the full application and associated licensing to be installed on the system under test. The upcoming workstation benchmark -- expected in the first half of 2013 -- will be easy to install and run, but still rigorous enough to provide meaningful, repeatable data for performance evaluation.
All members of SPEC/GWPG --
currently AMD, Dell, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Lenovo, NEC and NVIDIA -- are eligible to participate in SPECwpc activities. SPEC/GWPG is also open to other organizations that wish to benefit from performance benchmarking.
“We are looking to fill a gap by providing a benchmark that measures the performance of workstations running popular applications, but without requiring the full application and associated licensing to be installed on the system under test,” says Tom Fisher, chair of the working group. “The resulting benchmark will be easy to install and run, but still rigorous enough to provide meaningful, repeatable data for performance evaluation.”
Got code?
The group is working to obtain code and workloads representative of those used in areas such as CAE, digital media and entertainment, finance, health sciences and energy. Among other requirements, the tests need to be scalable, preferably solve large problems, support multiple architectures and be freely available to the public..
For more information on supplying code for the upcoming benchmark, see the workstation benchmark overview.
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