A comparison based parallel sorting algorithm

Abstract

We present a fast comparison based parallel sorting algorithm that can handle arbitrary key types. Data movement is the major portion of sorting time for most algorithms in the literature. Our algorithm is parameterized so that is can be tuned to control data movement time, especially for large data sets. Parallel histograms are used to partition the key set exactly. The algorithm is architecture independent, and has been implemented in the CHARM portable parallel programming system, allowing it to be efficiently run on virtually any MIMD computer. Performance results for sorting different data sets are presented.