A framework for measuring supercomputer productivity

We propose a framework for measuring the productivity of high performance computing (HPC) systems, based on common economic definitions of productivity and on utility theory. We discuss how these definitions can capture essential aspects of HPC systems, such as the importance of time- to-solution and the trade-off between programming time and execution time. Finally, we outline a research program that would lead to the definition of effective productivity metrics for HPC that fit within the proposed framework.