Preconditioning for Sparse Linear Systems at the Dawn of the 21st Century: History, Current Developments, and Future Perspectives

Iterative methods are currently the solvers of choice for large sparse linear systems of equations. However, it is well known that the key factor for accelerating, or even allowing for, convergence is the preconditioner. The research on preconditioning techniques has characterized the last two decades. Nowadays, there are a number of different options to be considered when choosing the most appropriate preconditioner for the specific problem at hand. The present work provides an overview of the most popular algorithms available today, emphasizing the respective merits and limitations. The overview is restricted to algebraic preconditioners, that is, general-purpose algorithms requiring the knowledge of the system matrix only, independently of the specific problem it arises from. Along with the traditional distinction between incomplete factorizations and approximate inverses, the most recent developments are considered, including the scalable multigrid and parallel approaches which represent the current frontier of research. A separate section devoted to saddle-point problems, which arise in many different applications, closes the paper.