CTR: With origins in the DARPA Strategic Computing program of the mid-1980s, Beowulf-class cluster computing has evolved as the dominant approach for developing high performance computing systems. In recent years, once prevalent vector computers from the likes of Cray, Convex, Alliant, Fujitsu, and others, have given way to cluster computing configurations for even the most aggressive computing applications. Top500.org, which tracks the most powerful computing systems in the world, recently reported that nearly 70% of the fastest computer systems in the world are now labeled as cluster configurations. This trend has been steadily increasing over the last few years.

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