Communication network issues and high-density interconnects in large-scale distributed computing systems

The authors discuss the impact of the physical interconnection environment through which the concurrent processes among locally distinct computing nodes of large-scale multicomputer systems are coupled. The communication capabilities implied for massively parallel computing systems by fine-grain task partitioning and by fine-grained communications are discussed in detail. Wafer-scale and hybrid wafer-scale system technologies which would support such communications are described.>