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Sorting Algorithm Breaks Giga-Sort Barrier, With GPUs

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at the University of Virginia have recently open sourced an algorithm capable of sorting at a rate of one billion (integer) keys per second using a GPU. Although GPUs are often assumed to be poorly suited for algorithms like sorting, their results are several times faster than the best known CPU-based sorting implementations."

11 of 187 comments (clear)

  1. No Surprise... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    GPUs have always been better at sorting your money from your wallet.

  2. Re:Excel Charts by bramp · · Score: 3, Funny

    I've also found this annoying when reading papers. Perhaps I just spend too much time learning how to use gnuplot so that my graphs look nice.

  3. Re:Not a barrier by CoolGopher · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's just a milestone.

    Hang on, since when do you measure sorting performance using a distance indicator? And an imperial one at that!

    No, this is not a serious comment.

  4. Re:Not a barrier by martin-boundary · · Score: 2, Funny

    It means the Queen of England herself endorses the calculations?

  5. I think the bubble sort would be the wrong way to by joeyadams · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think the bubble sort would be the wrong way to go.

    —Barack Obama

  6. New level of gaming. by Murdoch5 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hold on, so I can play Jezz Ball, Chips Challenge and all my favourite old school games with a greater level of speed.

  7. PRON! Marches on! by jewishbaconzombies · · Score: 3, Funny

    Thank god, because my online Porn collection isn't going to sort itself.

  8. Re:Not a barrier by PatPending · · Score: 4, Funny

    Actually, if you look at shockwave dynamics during the moment an object crosses from subsonic to supersonic velocity, it can very easily be considered much more of a barrier than 1gkeys/sec can.

    Actually in this case, your analogy should use ludicrous speed.

    --
    What one fool can do, another can. (Ancient Simian Proverb)
  9. Re:The video card in question.. by MarkRose · · Score: 3, Funny

    I never would have suspected the GTX480 would have been good at this sorta thing.

    --
    Be relentless!
  10. Re:Um... by Guido+del+Confuso · · Score: 2, Funny

    O( n / log(P) ) not so much.

    That algorithm does particularly poorly on just one processor. In fact, if it ran successfully the universe would implode.

  11. 1 billion? Up it to over 4 billion! by Mr+Z · · Score: 3, Funny

    You know, if they up it to just a bit over 4 billion unique 32-bit keys, say around 4,294,967,296 or so, I think I could sort them rather efficiently, as long as they weren't attached to any payload. ;-)