[qwerty456127]

Can these areas really be optimized on the code level? Aren't serious computation algorithms already implemented the best way known to computer science and optimized to the hardware architecture? I agree most of the software is bloated but I don't know if scientific computation software in particular is.

And by the way I believe the software code is not the only place which could be made more efficient. What if we removed all the legacy stuff from the x86 architecture - wouldn't it become more efficient? What if we designed a new CPU with a particular modern programming language and advanced high-level computer science concepts in mind - wouldn't it make writing efficient code easier?

Also, what are the actual tasks we need so much number-crunching power for, besides things of questionable value like face recognition, deep-fake, passwords cracking and algorithmic trading?

[btrettel]

Computational fluid dynamics software rarely is implemented in the best way known to computer science and optimized to the hardware architecture. There's a compromise between development and run time here. Plus, how to optimize the software is an active area of research that often combines both computer and physical knowledge.

[zozbot234]

How many 'serious computation algorithms' are written in FORTRAN 77? They may be "implemented the best way known to computer science and optimized to the hardware architecture", but they're also a full 40 years (and counting) out of date.