Abstract:

[Objective] This study systematically traces the evolution of computing models in bioinformatics from traditional high-performance computing (HPC) to Function as a Service (FaaS). In light of bioinformatics application scenarios, it analyzes the concept of FaaS, its platform characteristics, and integration models between HPC and FaaS. [Literature Scope] This paper reviews more than 70 publications from mainstream conferences and journals, as well as.documentation from major cloud platforms, published between 2003 and 2024. [Methods] This study combines a literature review and architectural comparison to computation models evolution in bioinformatics, characterize FaaS and leading platforms, synthesize use cases in genomics, sequencing, genetics, and data mining, and evaluate three FaaS-HPC integration modes. [Results] FaaS simplifies deployment, enhances elasticity, and accelerates research cycles across bioinformatics tasks, while increasingly integrating via three models—HPC+cloud, HPC in the cloud, and HPC-as-a-Service—to meet diverse scenario needs. [Conclusions] FaaS has been successfully appllied in genomics, sequencing, genetics, and data mining, but challenges such as resource limitations remain. In the future, more solution integrating FaaS with traditional HPC are expected.

Key words: FaaS, serverless computing, bioinformatics, HPC