Parallel and Supercomputing in the Practice of Management Science

The performance of von Neumann (serial) computers improved by a factor of 10⁶ between 1955 and 1990. Within the next decade we expect to see similar improvements delivered by parallel supercomputers. As this new technology matures, it shifts from being a research topic to being a fundamental tool for scientific, engineering, and business applications. Multiprocessor systems that once cost several million dollars and were found only in government laboratories are now very affordable. They have proliferated in academia, high-technology industries, and business. This new technology has also penetrated the practice of management science. Parallel and supercomputers could change the way management scientists apply the tools of their trade and influence the decision-making process.