Parallel Computer Architectures

Lecturer:

Tutor:

Supervisor:

Department of Computer Systems

Synopsis:

The students gain a good overview of present parallel architectures and processors:parallel (ILP) microarchitectures, multithreaded and multicore processors, SoCs and MPSoCs, GPUs, and neural processors. Students also get hands-on experience with programming these systems.

Requirements:

Programming in C, parallel algorithms, computer architectures, principles of pipelining.

Syllabus of lectures:

1. SIMD architectures. programming, data dependency solutions, hiding latency of instructions.

2. VLIW architectures, programming, speculative solutions of data dependences, solutions for exceptions.

3. VLIW architectures for digital signal processing.

4. Multithreaded architectures.

5. Homogeneous multi-core architectures, memory subsystem, interrupts.

6. Heterogeneous multi-core architectures, shared and local memory, data transfers.

7. GPU architectures.

8. Programming environments and tools for multicore architectures.

9. Programming environments and tools for GPUs.

10. Systems on chip (SoC, NoC), switching networks, synchronous and asynchronous module interconnections.

11. Special parallel architectures, neural networks.

Syllabus of tutorials:

1. Introduction, assigning projects to students

2. Development tools

3. Parallel architecture programming I

4. Parallel architecture programming II

5. Parallel architecture programming III

6. Performance tests

7. Project consultation

8. Project consultation

9. Project consultation

10. Project consultation

11. Project presentation I

12. Project presentation II

13. Project presentation III

14. Assessment

Study Objective:

Nowadays, the importance of parallel computing rapidly grows due to the fact that Moore's law moved to parallelization of processors, multiprocessor systems are becoming a commodity, and even any PC end-user meets these systems. These trends bring challenges for SW developers, since common applications should be optimally parallelized. The goal of the module is to provide an overview of present parallel architectures in PCs, emebedded systems, mobile computing devices, GPUs. The aim is to teach students tools and methods for programming these systems.

Study materials:

1. El-Rewini, H., Abd-El-Barr, M. ''Advanced Computer Architecture and Parallel Processing''. Wiley-Interscience, 2005. ISBN 0471467405.

2. De Micheli, G., Benini, L. ''Networks on Chips: Technology and Tools''. Morgan Kaufmann, 2006. ISBN 0123705215.

3. Jerraya, A., Wolf, W. ''Multiprocessor Systems-on-Chips''. Morgan Kaufmann, 2004. ISBN 012385251X.

4. Keckler, S. W., Olukotun, K., Hofstee, H. P. ''Multicore Processors and Systems''. Springer, 2009. ISBN 1441902627.

Note:

Time-table for winter semester 2011/2012:

Time-table is not available yet

Time-table for summer semester 2011/2012:

Time-table is not available yet

The course is a part of the following study plans:

• Design of Digital Systems, Presented in English, Version for Students, who Enrolled in 2010 and 2011 (compulsory course of the specialization)
• Computer Security, Presented in English, Version for Students, who Enrolled in 2010 and 2011 (compulsory course of the specialization)
• Master Informatics, Presented in English - Version for Students who Enrolled in 2010 (VO)
• Master Informatics, Presented in English - Version for Students who Enrolled in 2011 (VO)
• Master Informatics, Presented in English - Version for Students who Enrolled in 2012 (VO)
• Design of Digital Systems, Presented in English - Version for Students who Enrolled in 2012 (compulsory course of the specialization)
• Computer Systems and Networks, Presented in English - Version for Students who Enrolled in 2012 (compulsory course of the specialization)