Singularity to deploy HPC applications: a study case with WRF
摘要
This study evaluates the performance and portability of the Weather Research and Forecasting model in high-performance computing environments, comparing traditional baremetal deployments with containerized executions using Singularity. Experiments were conducted on the TeideHPC system, focusing on execution time, the impact of different compilers (Intel vs. GCC), and parallelization strategies (MPI and OpenMP). The results indicate that while Singularity introduces a performance overhead of 11 to 15%, it offers significant advantages in portability and reproducibility. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of compiler choice and the influence of container image size on startup times, emphasizing the need for careful optimization in containerized HPC workflows.