Designing Embedded Computing Environments

Designing Embedded Computing Environments

Course Outline

The well-known Moore's Law, which states that given a fixed cost, microprocessor performance doubles approximately every 18 months, also implies that for a fixed performance, the cost of computing declines by about 35% per yearthe latter statement was enabled significantly by innovations in tools for designing and using these embedded systems, notably optimizing compilers and EDA. Over the past decades, this has led to a significant drift in the center of gravity of computing, from mainframes down to the personal computer. Increasingly, it is evident that this shift will continue to move the center of gravity into embedded computing wherein numerous small pervasive computers that control processes and environments will proliferate. All indications are that there will be an explosion of these technologies in diverse application domains ranging across networking, industrial automation, medical electronics, bio-informatics, and practically all areas of our lives. The terms pervasive and ubiquitous have been used to describe this mode of computing. Assuming a background in basic digital logic and programming, the aim of this course is to introduce the students to the major advances and challenges faced by the computing end of this growing field. With a core set of knowledge and a broad overview of this important emerging computing space, the students can then go on to research specific areas within this space, or engineer solutions that encompass techniques and applications from this field. Prerequisites: Computer architecture, programming and programming languages, operating systems, and algorithms.

Course Topics

Evolution of ILP and ISAs Trimaran Introduction EPIC Architectures and HPL-PD EPIC Architectures and HPL-PD EPIC Scheduling, EPIC Register Allocation, Loop and Data Optimizations Lego Mindstorms Intro Real-Time OS and Computer Networks HW/SW Codesign, VHDL and FPGAs Adaptive EPIC, Polymorphic Computing, Architecture Synthesis/Assembly Design Space Exploration The course will include several guest lectures by distinguished faculty, industrial and academic researchers. The complete course syllabus is her

Lecture Slides and Handouts (back to top) Lecture 1 Lecture 2 Lecture 3 Lecture 4 Lecture 5 Lab 1 Lecture 6 Lecture 7