Composite theoretical performance

Export controls require that computer systems, specifically Digital Central Processing units, be characterized as to performance. Absolute performance measurement is not required, rather a very wide range of CPUs, from micros to supercomputers, must be rank ordered. Ranking is based on a synthetic characterization and is influenced by the design details of the particular processor that make it useful for one or more strategic applications. This paper describes the strategic export control concerns, the rationale involved in the choice of a metric, the technical considerations, and the elements included in the CTP metric.