SPECfp

SPECfp is a benchmark suite developed by the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) to evaluate the floating-point intensive performance of computer systems. It is part of the larger SPEC CPU benchmark suite. SPECfp focuses on measuring the speed and efficiency of systems when executing applications that heavily rely on floating-point arithmetic, commonly found in scientific and engineering workloads.

The SPECfp suite consists of a collection of standardized application benchmarks written primarily in Fortran and C/C++. These benchmarks represent a diverse range of real-world applications, including:

• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
• Weather forecasting
• Molecular dynamics
• Image processing
• Quantum chemistry

Each benchmark is run on the system being evaluated, and the execution time is measured. The results are then compared to a baseline system, and a ratio is calculated. These ratios are then used to compute a geometric mean, which provides an overall score for the SPECfp suite.

The SPECfp score is a widely recognized metric for comparing the floating-point performance of different computer systems, including CPUs, servers, and workstations. It provides a standardized and objective way to assess how well a system handles computationally intensive tasks that rely on floating-point operations.

Different versions of SPECfp exist, such as SPECfp2000, SPECfp2006, and SPECfp2017, each with its own set of benchmarks reflecting advancements in hardware and software technology. The specific benchmarks and methodologies used in each version of SPECfp are detailed in the official SPEC documentation. The latest version usually reflects the most current hardware and software characteristics.