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The world could run on older hardware if software optimization was a priority

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835 points turrini | 3 comments | 13 May 25 10:31 UTC | HN request time: 0.606s | source
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bob1029 ◴[13 May 25 12:26 UTC] No.43972132[source]▶
We've been able to run order matching engines for entire exchanges on a single thread for over a decade by this point.

I think this specific class of computational power - strictly serialized transaction processing - has not grown at the same rate as other metrics would suggest. Adding 31 additional cores doesn't make the order matching engine go any faster (it could only go slower).

If your product is handling fewer than several million transactions per second and you are finding yourself reaching for a cluster of machines, you need to back up like 15 steps and start over.

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queuebert ◴[13 May 25 14:20 UTC] No.43973292[source]▶
Why can you not match orders in parallel using logarithmic reduction, the same way you would sort in parallel? Is it that there is not enough other computation being done other than sorting by time and price?
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1. mike_hearn ◴[13 May 25 19:38 UTC] No.43976802[source]▶
It's an inherently serial problem and regulations require it to be that way. Users who submit first want their orders to be the one that crosses.
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2. perlgeek ◴[14 May 25 18:29 UTC] No.43987704[source]▶
Stupid question, since I know next to nothing about exchanges and regulations... but couldn't you just process serially by security?

E.G. if user A wants to buy Apple stock and user B wants to buy Facebook stock, does it matter which order came first? And if yes, why?

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3. mike_hearn ◴[15 May 25 06:12 UTC] No.43992294[source]▶
I think that's allowed but this is where my meagre expertise runs out. You normally have to process orders serially or at least using algorithms that yield the exact same outcome that serial execution would give, but only within a single order book.