Parallel Computing on a Mobile Device

The Message Passing Interface (MPI) was published as a standard in 1992. Since then, many imple mentations have been developed. The MPICH library is one of the most well-known and freely available implementations. These libraries allow for the simplification of parallel computing on clusters and par allel machines. The system provides the developer with an easy-to-use set of functions for point-to-point and global communications. The details of how the actual communication takes place are hidden from the programmers, allowing them to focus on the domain-specific problem at hand. Communication be tween nodes on such systems is carried out via high-speed cabled interconnects (Gigabit Ethernet and upwards). The world of mobile computing, especially mobile phones, is now a ubiquitous technology. Mobile devices do not have any facility to allow for connections using traditional high-speed cabling; therefore, it is necessary to make use of wireless communication mechanisms to achieve interdevice com munication. The majority of medium- to high-end phones are Bluetooth-enabled as standard, allowing for wireless communication to take place. The Mobile Message Passing Interface (MMPI) provides the developer with an intuitive set of functions to allow for communications between nodes (mobile phones) across a Bluetooth network. This chapter looks at the MMPI library and how it may be used for parallel computing on mobile phones (Smartphones).