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Fortran 2023 Key Updates and Potential in Scientific Computing







1 Introduction to Fortran

Fortran, short for “Formula Translation”, is one of the oldest programming languages, developed by IBM
in the 1950s to handle scientific and engineering calculations. Despite the passage of many decades,
Fortran remains crucial in areas like high-performance computing (HPC), weather forecasting, physics
simulations, and computational engineering due to its efficient handling of matrix operations and numerical
computations.

Fortran has undergone continuous improvements with versions like Fortran 66, Fortran 77, Fortran 90,
Fortran 95, Fortran 2003, Fortran 2008, Fortran 2018, and now the latest Fortran 2023. Each new version
introduces modern features, ensuring that Fortran remains relevant and competitive in today’s software
development landscape.

2 Why is Fortran Still Widely Used?

Although modern languages like Python, C++, and Julia are increasingly popular, Fortran remains favored in fields
that require high-performance computations due to:

  • Superior performance: Fortran is optimized for numerical operations and array processing, making
    it faster than other languages for scientific and technical applications.
  • Backward compatibility: Fortran code written decades ago can still run on modern compilers,
    making it easier to maintain and upgrade large-scale projects.
  • Rich libraries: Fortran boasts a vast collection of scientific and engineering libraries, refined over the
    years, which researchers can readily leverage and reuse.

3 Key Updates in Fortran 2023

Fortran 2023 introduces a range of new features and improvements aimed at enhancing modernity, scalability, and
performance. Here are some of the highlights:

3.1 Support for Parallel Programming

One of the most significant additions in Fortran 2023 is enhanced support for parallel programming. While Fortran
already introduced parallel features with coarray in Fortran 2008, the new version expands capabilities such as:

  • Atomic Subroutines: Allowing resource management in concurrent environments without causing
    data races.
  • Event Variables: Enabling efficient synchronization between parallel threads (coarrays).

These features improve computational efficiency on modern multi-threaded systems and supercomputers.

3.2 Exception Handling

Fortran 2023 introduces exception handling, allowing developers to manage runtime errors gracefully. This
feature enhances the robustness and reliability of scientific applications, especially in scenarios where calculations
may encounter issues like division by zero or overflow. 

try 
    x = a / b 
catch 
    print *, "Error: Division by zero" 
end try

3.3 Enhanced String Handling

Fortran 2023 improves string manipulation, addressing a long-standing limitation in previous versions. New
functions such as find, replace, and more powerful substring capabilities make working with strings simpler and
more efficient. 

character(len=20) :: text = "Hello Fortran" 
print *, text(7:)  ! Output: "Fortran"

3.4 Object-Oriented Programming Enhancements

Fortran 2023 continues to enhance support for Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), allowing more flexible use of
interfaces and abstract types. This empowers developers to create complex software models that are easier to
maintain.

3.5 Interoperability with Other Languages

Another noteworthy feature of Fortran 2023 is improved interoperability with languages like C and Python. This
allows Fortran to leverage libraries from other languages and vice versa, providing greater flexibility for
multi-language projects.

4 Code Example

Below is a sample code demonstrating the use of coarray and atomic features in Fortran 2023: 

program parallel_example 
    use iso_fortran_env 
    implicit none 
    integer, atomic :: counter[*] 
    integer :: i 
 
    counter = 0 
    sync all 
 
    ! Parallelizing the counter increment across images 
    do i = 1, 100 
        call atomic_define(counter, counter + 1) 
    end do 
 
    sync all 
    if (this_image() == 1) then 
        print *, "Final value of counter:", counter 
    end if 
end program parallel_example

This program uses the atomic feature to ensure that the counter variable is safely updated in a multi-threaded
environment.

5 Conclusion

Fortran 2023 continues to affirm its position in the field of high-performance computing and scientific computing.
With improvements in parallel programming, exception handling, and better integration with modern languages,
Fortran 2023 offers new possibilities for scientists and engineers.

Although not as widely adopted as Python or C++, Fortran retains its edge in projects requiring
high-performance numerical computations due to its speed and stability. With the release of Fortran 2023, we can
expect this language to continue playing a significant role in the future of scientific and technical
computing.


Gjng Laton

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