CAREER: Niche-based Systems: Uniform Abstractions for Non-uniform Hardware

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In the face of current technology trends, the drive for faster, less power-hungry, and easier-to-program computers will fundamentally alter how we design computer systems. Niche-based computer systems address these challenges by combining a diverse range of specialized and semi-specialized processors into a heterogeneous computing fabric. The niche-based software components provide a uniform abstraction for this fabric that makes it easy for programmers to utilize.Niche-based systems contain a configurable, non-uniform set of computing elements (CEs) that vary widely in capabilities, performance, and power consumption. The software runtime in a niche-based system provides a uniform abstraction and programming model for the non-uniform CEs. The runtime dynamically partitions programs across the CEs and translates them for execution. As a result, niche-based systems can exploit the power and performance advantages of specialized CEs to execute general-purpose computations more efficiently. Furthermore, niche-based systems can address the unintentional non-uniformity that manufacturing defects and device wear-out will cause in advanced process technologies.The PI is proposing exploring the design space for each of the hardware and software components in a Niche-based system and constructing prototype implementations. These components include three key software systems: the Niche runtime system and the translators for generating executable code for a range of CEs, a partially automated system for specifying (and verifying via formal method techniques) the behavior of a CE and generating the required CE-specific translator, and a front-end compiler to generate executables for Niche-based systems. The PI is also constructing a prototype Niche- based hardware system from commercially available hardware.