Sparse Matrix Algorithms:
Combinatorics + Numerical Methods + Applications = SuiteSparse
Tim Davis, Texas A&M University
Abstract:
Sparse matrix algorithms lie in the intersection of graph theory and numerical linear algebra, and are a key component of high-performance combinatorial scientific computing. This talk gives an overview of SuiteSparse, a suite of sparse solvers written over the past 25 years with several colleagues. I will also highlight several specific contributions in this domain that appear in SuiteSparse, ranging from theory and algorithms to reliable mathematical software and its impact on applications:
Sparse Cholesky update/downdate
Approximate minimum degree
Unsymmetric multifrontal method for sparse LU factorization
Multifrontal sparse QR factorization, including my current work in GPU-based heterogeneous high-performance parallel computing.
My goal is to connect with current and potential users of SuiteSparse, by illustrating the features that the codes provide to users, by providing an overview of the algorithms inside SuiteSparse, and by motivating possible future features and collaborations.
Brief Biography:
Tim Davis is a Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. His primary scholarly contribution is the creation of widely-used sparse matrix algorithms and software (SuiteSparse). His software is relied upon by a vast array of commercial, government lab, and open source applications, including MATLAB (x=A\b when A is sparse), Mathematica, Google (Street View, Photo Tours, and 3D Earth), Octave, Cadence, MSC NASTRAN, Mentor Graphics, and many more. As an NVIDIA Academic Partner, he is creating a new suite of highly-parallel sparse direct methods that can exploit the high computational throughput of recent GPUs. NVIDIA has designated his work Texas A&M as a CUDA Research Center.
He was elected in 2013 as a SIAM Fellow, in 2014 as an ACM Fellow, and in 2016 as an IEEE Fellow. He serves as an associate editor for ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software, and the SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing. Tim is a Master Consultant to The MathWorks.
Work is fun, but for pure fun, Tim does algorithmic art by translating music into visual art via Fourier transforms, graph algorithms, and force-directed graph visualization. His most recent commissioned work appeared as the theme artwork for the 2013 London Electronic Arts Festival, which appeared on billboards all over London in the fall of 2013. He created his logo for SuiteSparse via a visualization of Straus' "Also Sprach Zarathustra".
For more details, his professional web page is faculty.cse.tamu.edu/davis, and his algorithmic art appears at notesartstudio.com.