Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!maverick.ksu.ksu.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!uxa.cso.uiuc.edu!msp33327
From: msp33327@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Michael S. Pereckas)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: superconcurrency and the cpu with 3 brains
Summary: The cpu with 3 brains---how about tightly coupled superconcurrency?
Keywords: superconcurrency shared-memory
Message-ID: <1990Nov8.211217.4165@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 8 Nov 90 21:12:17 GMT
Sender: news@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (News)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Lines: 28

In the October 1990 Supercomputing Review Richard Freund and Sunny
Conwell wrote about ``superconcurrency''---distributed heterogeneous
supercomputing.  The idea is that since specialized processors do best
on the tasks that they were designed for, what we need are collections
of different specialized processors.  

In each program there are parts that run best on vector machines,
parst that run best on MIMDs, SIMDs, etc., so the problem should
be spread around, they say.  

The machines can be widely distributed and networked, or all in the
same box.  Perhaps this is a good use for the CPU with 3 brains.  Two
RISC scalar units and a vector unit on one chip, anyone?  

A shared-memory heterogeneous multiprocessor might allow even small
sections of code to run on the best suited processor.  I suppose this
could be done as a VLIW, but another (maybe better, or at least more
flexible) possability would be a MIMD style system, with each process
running on one CPU, possably spawning sub-processes that run on
different CPUs.  (and you thought that programming was hard now :-))

Of course, I'll be the first to admit that I don't really know what
I'm talking about.  Have at it, guys :-)

--
Michael Pereckas               * InterNet: m-pereckas@uiuc.edu *
just another student...          (CI$: 72311,3246)
*Jargon Dept.: Decoupled Architecture--sounds like the aftermath of a tornado*