Designing SOCs with Configured Cores

15.7. The Research Accelerator for Multiple Processors Project

During the 32nd International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA) held in Madison, Wisconsin in June 2005, some of the attendees talking together in the hallways between sessions came to several significant conclusions:

1. Most computer architects believe that microprocessor cores will be used in large numbers (hundreds or even thousands) in future chip designs. (This conclusion echoes ITRS:2005.)

2. Straightforward [ad hoc] approaches to the architecture of multiple-core processor systems are adequate for small designs (2 to 4 cores) but little formal research has been conducted on rigorous ways to build, program, or manage large systems containing 64 to 1024 processors.

3. Current compilers, ...