Extends:
Reconfigurable Computing

Description:

This cluster is the extension of cluster 457 “Reconfigurable Computing”.
The intention continues to be to increase the membership to include all the top reconfigurable computing researchers in Europe. For example, after attending our cluster meetings, Dirk Stroobandt (UGhent) applied and was accepted as HiPEAC member in January 2007. We also have continued conversations with companies to join HiPEAC. For example, Robert Esser, Director of Xilinx Research Labs Ireland is willing to join.

We have organized and supported the first “Workshop on Reconfigurable Computing” held at the HiPEAC 2007 Conference, where the invited presentation by Reiner Hartenstein (TU Keiserslautern), the papers presented and the large attendance were a great success.

We have continued to publish papers in main conferences, for example:
– R. Chaves, G.K. Kuzmanov, L. A. Sousa, S. Vassiliadis, Rescheduling for Optimized SHA-1 Calculation, to appear in: SAMOS Workshop on Computer Systems Architectures Modelling and Simulation, Samos, Greece, July 2006
– C. Kachris, S. Vassiliadis, Performance Evaluation of an Adaptive FPGA for Network Applications, Proceedings of the 17th IEEE International Workshop on Rapid System Prototyping, Chania, Greece, June 2006
– R. Chaves, G.K. Kuzmanov, S. Vassiliadis, L. A. Sousa, Reconfigurable Memory Based AES Co-Processor, Proceedings of the 13th Reconfigurable Architectures Workshop (RAW 2006), pp. 192, Rhodes Island, Greece, April 2006
– E. Moscu Panainte, K. Bertels, S. Vassiliadis, Compiler-driven FPGA-area Allocation for Reconfigurable Computing, Proceedings of Design, Automation and Test in Europe 2006 (DATE 06), pp. 369-374, Munich, Germany, March 2006
- Sascha Uhrig, Stefan Maier, Georgy Kuzmanov, Theo Ungerer: Coupling of a Reconfigurable Architecture and a Multithreaded Processor Core with Integrated Real-Time Scheduling. 13th Reconfigurable Architectures Workshop, RAW 2006, Rhodes Island, Greece, April 25-26, 2006
- Ashley W Brown, Paul H J Kelly and Wayne Luk "Profiling floating point value ranges for reconfigurable implementation", HiPEAC Reconf. Workshop, Ghent, 2007
- J. H. Kelm, I. Gelado, K. Hwang, D. Burke, S.-Z. Ueng, N. Navarro, S. Lumetta, and W. mei Hwu, Operating system interfaces: Bridging the gap between cpu and fpga accelerators ,Tech. Rep. UILU-ENG-06-2219, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, October 2006.

1. General Introduction:

The proposition of the cluster is that reconfigurable processors, i.e. processors that adapt (dynamically or statically) their microarchitecture to fit application "design requirements", are the answer to the processor (embedded or not) hardware design challenges. To prove the viability of the proposition, we are working on multiple design aspects of (single and multi) processors on a chip using reconfigurable fabric. In addition, aspects like compiler transformations and linker optimizations or hybrid software/hardware platforms, automatic synthesis of hardware accelerators, operating systems and loaders support, automated design tools and the reliability provisions of such systems are part of the intended research.

2. Cluster Organization:

We aim to settle down into this cluster an entire field and focus on it, rather than address isolated topics. This proposal covers a period of 12 months. It is intended to promote many new initiatives on the subject. The ones identified so far are as follows:

o Continue to organize the annual workshop
o Consolidate research platform and tools based on existing ones
o Promote researcher exchange among the partners
o Build the critical mass needed for the successful future of RC in Europe
o Industrial participation
o Collaboration with related NSF projects (IMPACT at UIUC)
o Improve the web page to disseminate the cluster results (http://ce.et.tudelft.nl/HiPEACRC/)

This extension will allow us to implement a common platform composed of the following parts and addressed by a full time researcher:

o Common compiler, software infrastructure (benchmarks, simulation, OS and more)
o Common prototype hardware
o Common design tools suite
o Cluster webpage

3. Cluster research topics:

The topics of particular interest of this cluster are (but not limited to):

a) How to fully exploit the available flexibility of RC for dynamically changing computational requirements
b) Selection of the best fit technology and research the CAD tools for the common platform
c) Address the particular Embedded domain restrictions in respect to RC, e.g. the automotive and multimedia
d) OS support for RC
e) RC inspired by Biology
f) RC reliability, fault tolerance and availability
g) Low power RC.

Nature:
Research cluster

Total funding:
Requested: € 83250

Including fellowship funding:
Requested: € 63000

Description of how the funding will be used:

The funding for this cluster will be used for establishing researchers exchange in order to tighten the collaboration under the topic. The exchanges will be in form of a few days bilateral visits. In addition, we plan to organize regular meetings to coordinate the cluster efforts, fine tune the strategy and steer the future direction of this project.

The cluster budget is:

o Overall travelling budget: 3 meeting trips x 3 partners to travel x 1.5 people/partner x 1500 euro/trip = 20.250 euros.

o A fellowship for a researcher to support the common RC platform, web etc: one full time engineer for 18 months (cost 42000 person/year). The total personal cost is 63,000 euros.

Duration of the funding:
Requested: 18 month(s)

Participating members:
VASSILIADIS Stamatis (Delft University of Technology) (--member--)
UNGERER Theo (University of Augsburg) (--member--)
GAYDADJIEV Georgi (Delft University of Technology) (--member--)
STROOBANDT Dirk (Ghent University) (--member--)
NAVARRO Nacho (UPC) (--member--)
KARL Wolfgang (University of Karlsruhe) (--member--)
KAXIRAS Stefanos (University of Patras) (--member--)
PNEVMATIKATOS Dionisios (FORTH) (--member--)

Other people collaborating:

SOUSA Leonel (INESC-ID)
KELLY, Paul (Imperial college)
CHEUNG, Peter (Imperial college)
LUK, Wayne (Imperial college)
DONLIN, Adam (Xilinx) (pending)
EVRIPIDOU, Paraskevas (Cyprus)
HWU, Wen-mei (Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
TRANCOSO, Pedro (Cyprus)