Exascale Quantum Mechanical Simulations: Navigating the Shifting Sands of Hardware and Software

Abstract

The era of exascale computing presents both exciting opportunities and unique challenges for quantum mechanical simulations. While the transition from petaflops to exascale computing has been marked by a steady increase in computational power, the shift towards heterogeneous architectures, particularly the dominant role of graphical processing units (GPUs), demands a fundamental shift in software development strategies. This review examines the changing landscape of hardware and software for exascale computing, highlighting the limitations of traditional algorithms and software implementations in light of the increasing use of heterogeneous architectures in high-end systems. We discuss the challenges of adapting quantum chemistry software to these new architectures, including the fragmentation of the software stack, the need for more efficient algorithms (including reduced precision versions) tailored for GPUs, and the importance of developing standardized libraries and programming models.