Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!cbmvax!daveh
From: daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: System Level support for AI stuff
Message-ID: <4356@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 28 Jul 88 15:44:49 GMT
References: <37202@linus.UUCP>
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 31

in article <37202@linus.UUCP>, eachus@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Robert Eachus) says:
> In article <446@afit-ab.arpa> cbaron@icc.UUCP (Christopher T. Baron) writes:
>>Anyway, while I was returning to Dayton from Ami-Expo an idea came to
>>me that the Amiga, being  a multi-tasking system,  could benifit from
>>system  level  support  for  several of  the  traditional AI type  of
>>functions.  By this I mean an inference engine, a  state space search
>>routine such as A*, and  say a built   in natural language  interface
>>(text).
> 
> -- Sure would be nice!

I've actually read that this kind of thing has been proposed as an optional
op-chip Execution Unit for the MC88100.  Currently, there are floating, 
integer, and execution units on the 88k that function in parallel.  And there's
support for more.  Possibilities include a graphics engine, a vector engine,
an inference engine, etc.  It makes lots of sense to put it on-chip, if at all
possible (like, does it fit?).  That give you an order of magnitude greater
performance than an off-chip unit, considering the speed and number of internal
busses vs. external busses.

The 680x0 family could certainly benefit from the same kind of things, and is
slowly moving in that direction, as witnessed by the internal Harvard split busses
in the 68030, and some of the things planned for the 68040.  However, the size
of the 680x0 chips right now would seem to prevent many extra functional units 
on-chip.  I'll be happy enough to see the FPU move on-chip.

> 					Robert I. Eachus
-- 
Dave Haynie  "The 32 Bit Guy"     Commodore-Amiga  "The Crew That Never Rests"
   {ihnp4|uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh      PLINK: D-DAVE H     BIX: hazy
		"I can't relax, 'cause I'm a Boinger!"