HPPI

HPPI stands for High-Performance Parallel Interface. In computing, it has been used as a label for a family of high-bandwidth, parallel data interfaces intended to connect processors, memory, and storage in high-performance computing systems. HPPI-era implementations appeared in the late 1980s and 1990s as researchers and vendors sought to exceed the throughput of earlier parallel interfaces while maintaining low latency. The exact specifications varied by vendor; there was no single universal HPPI standard. As a result, devices labeled HPPI could differ in signaling, word width, timing, and topology, with some interfaces adopting direct point-to-point links and others forming small fabrics.

Hardware using HPPI links moved large data sets, and HPPI interfaces were commonly used in data-intensive HPC workloads before being supplanted by newer interconnects and storage protocols. The term HPPI today is largely historical, and many current systems rely on InfiniBand, PCI Express, Fibre Channel, or Ethernet-based fabrics rather than HPPI-based interconnects.

See also: HIPPI, InfiniBand, PCIe, Fibre Channel.