NASA launches contest to make old Fortran code run faster

NASA seeks the public’s help to make decades-old code work faster. This concerns Fortran code that has been written for applications in the fields of fluid mechanics and aerodynamics, among other things.

The space agency has set out on its website what it is looking for. Anyone who is adept at writing code in Fortran is invited to download the source code and analyze it for improvements. Because the code is owned by the US government, only US citizens can view the code.

According to NASA, the goal is to make the Fortran code at least 10,000 times faster. It is part of the Fun3D program, which is used for research into fluid mechanics and aerodynamics, among other things. NASA runs the program on its Pleiades supercomputer, because of the complexity of the models that require calculations.

By making the code faster, it should eventually be possible to run even more complex models on the supercomputer. This should ultimately help in the development of new aircraft and spaceships. In total, the prize winners of the challenge may distribute an amount of 55,000 dollars, which translates into 50,000 euros.