1 / 6

VIRAM-1: High-Performance Microprocessor with Industrial Strength Compiler for Improved Cost-Performance

VIRAM-1 is a powerful microprocessor with a 256-bit media processor, 12-14 MBytes DRAM, and 2.5-3.2 Gops. It features a 2W power consumption at 170-200 MHz and is implemented using the IBM SA-27E technology. The goal is to improve performance and cost-performance while assuming flaws and focusing on Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) for trouble-free systems.

brooksw
Download Presentation

VIRAM-1: High-Performance Microprocessor with Industrial Strength Compiler for Improved Cost-Performance

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. VIRAM-1 Floorplan – Tapeout June 01 15 mm • Microprocessor • 256-bit media processor • 12-14 MBytes DRAM • 2.5-3.2 Gops • 2W at 170-200 MHz • Industrial strength compiler • 280 mm2 die area • 18.72 x 15 mm • ~200 mm2 for memory/logic • DRAM: ~140 mm2 • Vector lanes: ~50 mm2 • Technology: IBM SA-27E • 0.18mm CMOS • 6 metal layers (copper) • Transistor count: >100M • Implemented by 6 graduate students 18.7 mm Thanks to DARPA: funding IBM: donate masks, fab Avanti: donate CAD tools MIPS: donate MIPS core Cray: Compilers, MIT:FPU

  2. Goals,Assumptions of last 15 years • Goal #1: Improve performance • Goal #2: Improve performance • Goal #3: Improve cost-performance • Assumptions • Humans are perfect (they don’t make mistakes during installation, wiring, upgrade, maintenance or repair) • Software will eventually be bug free (good programmers write bug-free code) • Hardware MTBF is already very large (~100 years between failures), and will continue to increase

  3. Lessons learned from Past Projects • Maintenance of machines expensive • ~10X cost of HW per year • System administration primarily keeps system available: System + clever human = uptime • Software upgrades necessary, dangerous • Everything has an error rate • Well designed, manufactured HW: >1% fail/yr • Well designed, tested SW: > 1 bug / 1000 lines • Well trained, rested people: >1%?? • Well run collocation site (e.g., Exodus): 1 power failure / year, 1 network outage / year • Can improve performance (and cost) • Run on workload, measure, innovate, repeat • Benchmarks standardize workloads, lead to competition, turning debates into numbers

  4. An Approach to Trouble-Free Systems "If a problem has no solution, it may not be a problem, but a fact, not be solved, but to be coped with over time." Shimon Peres, quoted in Rumsfeld's Rules • Rather than aim towards (or wait for) perfect hardware, software, & people, assume flaws • Focus on Mean Time To Repair (MTTR), for whole system including people who maintain it • Availability = MTTR / MTBF, so 1/10th MTTR just as valuable as 10X MTBF • Use techniques to make repair fast vs. programs fast: transactions for undo, benchmarks for competition, …

  5. ~1000X Moore’s Law vs. Common Sense? • Scaled 32-bit, 5-stage RISC II 1/1000th of current MPU, die size or transistors Intel MPU die RISC II die

  6. New view: ClusterOnaChip (CoC) • 32-bit MPU as the new Nand Gate • “Cluster on a chip” with 100s of processors enable amazing MIPS/$, MIPS/watt for cluster applications • MPUs combined with dense memory + system on a chip CAD + quick turn fab • Inspiration: Google • Search engine for world: 100M/day • Economical, scalable build block:PC cluster today 6000 PCs, 12000 disks • Advantages in fault tolerance, scalability, cost/performance • 30 years ago Intel 4004 used 800 gates: when an 800 processor CoC?

More Related