Embedded Parallel Computing (DO8003), 7.5 credits

Course Start:  Monday January 16, 2012 , room R3149. Introductory Lecture. Tomas Nordström

The course is intended to provide knowledge of how parallel computing can be used as a way to meet application demands in embedded systems, such as performance and power efficiency. Further, it is intended to give a general insight into current research and development in regard to parallel architectures and computation models.

Course Description

Course Description 2012-01-16

Course Schedule 2012-01-16

Course Structure

The course has three parts:

Lecture part (L1, L2, etc. in the course planning). Overview lectures as a preparation for the students' own reading and problem solving; Discussion sessions after the students' own reading and problem solving.

Seminar part (S1, S2, etc. in the course planning). Seminars prepared by the students: Presentations of current "hot topics" followed by discussions.

Project part (P1, P2, etc. in the course planning). Hands-on parallel programming of multiprocessor on a chip, in laboratory sessions followed by a small project.

Course Literature

The main textbook to be used for the lecture part of the course is:
[ACAPP] H. El-Rewini & M. Abd-el-Barr, "Advanced Computer Architecture and Parallel Processing", John Wiley & Sons, 2005, ISBN 0-471-46740-5. The book is electronically available in full-text form through the database ebrary, available through the University's library.

Other suitable books, recommended for reading, are listed in the course syllabus.

The course book will be complemented by other material (such as journal articles). These will be made available electronically at the course homepage or can be achieved through the University library.

Lecture Notes

Introduction to Advanced Computer Architecture and Parallel Processing

Lecture 2 (2012-01-18):Parallelism in microprocessors (pdf, 4 MB)
Complementary material from EPC-2011:
RISC (pdf, 2 MB)  Slides on RISC (pdf, 140 kB)
Superscalar/VLIW (pdf, 890 kB)   Slides on Superscalar/VLIW (pdf, 140 kB)
A Single-Chip Multiprocessor (pdf, 300 kB). Slides (pdf, 600 kB) on Chip Multiprocessor.
Text on SIMD Processor Array Architectures (pdf, 2 MB). Slides on SIMD (pdf, 820 kB).

Additional study-support questions

Lecture 3 (2012-01-26): Multiprocessors Interconnection Network (pdf, 930 kB)
Complementary Material:
Pinkston & Duato, Interconnection Networks; Appendix E; Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach 4th Edition, <http://ceng.usc.edu/smart/slides/appendixE.html>

Lecture 4 (2012-01-27): Multiple-instruction multiple-data streams (MIMD) parallel architectures (pdf, 2 MB)

Additional study-support questions (updated 31/1)

Lecture 5 (2012-01-31): The anatomy of a modern multiprocessor, the multi-core processors (pdf, 4 MB)
Complementary Material:
Goodacre, J.; Sloss, A.N.; , "Parallelism and the ARM instruction set architecture," IEEE Computer , vol.38, no.7, pp. 42- 50, July 2005; doi: 10.1109/MC.2005.239 <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1463106&isnumber=31455>
Goodacre, J., "Details of a New Cortex Processor Revealed, Cortex-A9", Presentation at the ARM developers' Conference, October 2007.  <http://www.arm.com/files/downloads/cortex-a9_devcon-talk_introduction_final-02.pdf>
Stevens A., ”Introduction to AMBA 4 ACE”, ARM White paper June 6, 2011. <http://www.arm.com/files/pdf/CacheCoherencyWhitepaper_6June2011.pdf>

Lecture 6 (2012-02-02): Fundamentals of embedded many-core architectures (pdf, 5 MB)

Lecture 7 (2012-02-15): Programming models and methodologies for parallel embedded processors

Lecture 8 (2012-02-17): Energy efficiency in modern embedded parallel processors

Material for Labs and Project:

The Ambric Programming Model and Architecture

Introduction slides

[Ambric Lecture 1]   Slides (pdf, 1 MB)
[Ambric Lab 1]        Assignments (pdf, 55 kB)
[Ambric Lecture 2] Slides (pdf, 150 kB)
[Ambric Lab 2]        Assignments (pdf, 45 kB)
[Ambric Project] Assignment (pdf, 30 kB)

Presentation of Seminar Topics (2011):

Slides

Introductory Texts for Seminars

Topic 1: Processor Arrays
Text: The RAW Microprocessor (pdf, 420 kB)

Topic 2: Energy Efficient Computing for Mobile Applications
Text: Mobile Supercomputing for the Next-Generation Cell Phone (pdf, 1 MB)

Topic 3: Parallel Processing with Graphics Processors
Text: Parallel Processing with CUDA (pdf, 1 MB)

Topic 4: Future Computing Architectures
Text: From Microprocessors to Nanostore (pdf, 2 MB)s

Topic 5: Security in Embedded Systems
Text: Researchers Fight to Keep Implanted Medical Devices Safe from Hacker (pdf, 2 MB)s

Topic 6: Future of Processor Design
Text: Rethinking Digital Design: Why Design Must Change (pdf, 1 MB)

Topic 7: Heterogeneous Parallel Processors
Text:

Examples of previous written exams:
EPC 2009-03-20 (pdf, 19 kB)         EPC 2010-03-15 (pdf, 17 kB)
The recommended problems in the main textbook are also good examples of exam problems.