diff --git a/src/communicator/communicator.h b/src/communicator/communicator.h
index f377a82075..6325fa65d2 100644
--- a/src/communicator/communicator.h
+++ b/src/communicator/communicator.h
@@ -24,6 +24,12 @@ extern lam_class_t lam_communicator_t_class;
 #define LAM_COMM_NAMEISSET 0x00000008
 #define LAM_COMM_ISFREED   0x00000010
 
+/* some utility #defines */
+#define LAM_COMM_IS_INTER(comm) ((comm)->c_flags & LAM_COMM_INTER)
+#define LAM_COMM_IS_INTRA(comm) (!((comm)->c_flags & LAM_COMM_INTER))
+#define LAM_COMM_IS_CART(comm) ((comm)->c_flags & LAM_COMM_CART)
+#define LAM_COMM_IS_GRAPH(comm) ((comm)->c_flags & LAM_COMM_GRAPH)
+
 /* modes reqquired for accquiring the new comm-id */
 #define LAM_COMM_INTRA_INTRA 0x00000020
 #define LAM_COMM_INTRA_INTER 0x00000040
@@ -44,6 +50,8 @@ struct lam_communicator_t {
     /* Attributes */
     lam_hash_table_t       *c_keyhash;
 
+    int c_cube_dim; /**< inscribing cube dimension */
+
     /* Hooks for topo module to hang things */
     mca_topo_1_0_0_t c_topo; /**< structure of function pointers */
     mca_topo_comm_t *c_topo_comm; /**<structure containing information
@@ -132,6 +140,15 @@ static inline bool lam_comm_peer_invalid(lam_communicator_t* comm, int peer_id)
     return false;
 }
 
+static inline int lam_cube_dim(int nprocs) {
+    int dim;
+    size_t size;
+
+    if (1 > nprocs) return LAM_ERROR;
+    for(dim = 0, size = 1; size < nprocs; ++dim, size <<= 1);
+
+    return dim;
+}
 
 
 #if defined(c_plusplus) || defined(__cplusplus)
diff --git a/src/communicator/lam_comm_init.c b/src/communicator/lam_comm_init.c
index d35af53146..ae54919365 100644
--- a/src/communicator/lam_comm_init.c
+++ b/src/communicator/lam_comm_init.c
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ int lam_comm_init(void)
     lam_mpi_comm_world.c_my_rank = group->grp_my_rank;
     lam_mpi_comm_world.c_local_group = group;
     lam_mpi_comm_world.c_remote_group = group;
+    lam_mpi_comm_world.c_cube_dim = lam_cube_dim(size);
     mca_pml.pml_add_comm(&lam_mpi_comm_world);
     lam_pointer_array_set_item(&lam_mpi_communicators, 0, &lam_mpi_comm_world);
 
@@ -134,8 +135,13 @@ lam_communicator_t *lam_comm_allocate ( int local_size, int remote_size )
                 new_comm->c_remote_group = new_comm->c_local_group;
             }
         }
+        /* fill in the inscribing hyper-cube dimensions */
+        new_comm->c_cube_dim = lam_cube_dim(local_size);
+        if (LAM_ERROR == new_comm->c_cube_dim) {
+            OBJ_RELEASE(new_comm);
+            new_comm = NULL;
+        }
     }
-                
     return new_comm;
 }
 
@@ -409,6 +415,7 @@ static void lam_comm_construct(lam_communicator_t* comm)
     comm->c_contextid = 0;
     comm->c_flags     = 0;
     comm->c_my_rank   = 0;
+    comm->c_cube_dim  = 0;
     comm->c_local_group  = NULL;
     comm->c_remote_group = NULL;
     comm->error_handler  = NULL;