Air Option 1: Technology Translation - Compiler Technology for Modern Manycore Architectures

这个AIR技术翻译项目的重点是翻译众核编译器技术，以填补设计人员的生产力和众核使用效率的差距。在计算机架构师中有一个广泛的共识，即现有的多核处理器设计由于内存层次结构的复杂性而无法扩展。因此，众核架构中的内存层次结构预计会更简单？现在在软件中负责内存管理。然而，这样做对程序员来说是非常复杂的。众核编译器技术的提出解决了这一问题。它自动在应用程序中插入数据管理指令，并使其能够在众核处理器上高效执行。翻译技术具有以下独特功能：按钮编译和自动而高效的数据管理，为不久的将来的众核处理器提供了软件开发时间和成本的典型改进。此外，它还将提高性能，降低应用程序在众核处理器上执行的功耗。该项目通过开发一个基于LLVM的编译器来实现这一目标，该编译器将分析应用程序并在程序中插入数据管理指令，以便应用程序正确有效地执行，从而产生将使得能够在众核处理器上执行现有应用的原型编译器。虽然有一些编译器技术可以解决部分问题，但我们的编译器不仅性能优于它们[参见我们最近出版物中的结果]，但为众核编程挑战提供了一个整体解决方案。（众核处理器开发公司）和雷神导弹系统公司（Raytheon Missile Systems）（众核软件开发公司）在众核处理器和软件市场以及其他方面提供指导，包括融资和商业化，因为它们涉及将技术沿着一条可能导致竞争性商业现实的道路转化的潜力。我们的众核编译器技术的潜在经济影响预计将非常显著，因为想要使用众核处理来实现高性能和低功率的公司将需要这种编译器技术。例如，3D断层扫描、大容量3D打印机、超高清3D电视、超音速自动目标识别和防撞等，在严格的功率限制下，所有这些都需要最高级别的性能。这些应用程序的功率和性能需求只能通过众核处理器来满足，但是众核处理器不期望在硬件中具有对内存管理的支持。因此，现有的应用程序将不会在其上执行。我们的编译器将使这些应用程序的执行，因此利用最新的众核处理器的功率和性能。这一优势将极大地提高美国在信息技术、国防系统和消费电子市场领域的竞争力，从长远来看，其社会影响将是最终用户将以合理的成本获得高性能、高能效的计算产品。这提高了我们日常生活、国防、服务、医疗保健等所需的计算产品的可负担性，并提高生活水平，特别是对经济上处于不利地位的人。

This AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating manycore compiler technology to fill the designer productivity and manycore usage efficiency gap.There is a wide consensus among computer architects that existing multicore processor designs do not scale due to the complexity of memory hierarchy. As a result memory hierarchies in manycore architectures are expected to be simpler ? with the onus of memory management now in software. However, doing that is extremely complicated for the programmer. The proposed manycore compiler technology alleviates this programmer difficulty. It automatically inserts data management instructions in the application and enables their efficient execution on manycore processors.The translated technology has the following unique features: push-button compilation and automatic yet efficient data management that provides exemplary improvements in software development time and cost for near future manycore processors. In addition, it will also result in improved performance, and lower power consumption of the application executing on the manycore processor.The project accomplishes this goal by developing a LLVM based compiler that will analyze the application and insert data management instructions in the program, so that the applications execute correctly and efficiently, resulting in a prototype compiler that will enable the execution of existing applications on manycore processors. While there are compiler techniques that solve a part of the problem, but our compiler not only outperforms them [see the results in our recent publications], but provides a holistic solution to the manycore programming challenge.The partnership engages Intel (a manycore processor development company) and Raytheon Missile Systems (a manycore software development company) to provide guidance in the manycore processor and software marketplace and other aspects, including financing and commercialization as they pertain to the potential to translate the technology along a path that may result in a competitive commercial reality.The potential economic impact of our manycore compiler technology is expected to be very significant, as this compiler technology will be needed by companies that want to use manycore processing for high performance and low power. For example, 3D tomography, high capacity 3D printers, ultra high definition 3D TVs, automatic target recognition and collision avoidance at supersonic speeds, etc., all need highest levels of performance, under strict power constraints. The power and performance needs of these applications can only be met by manycore processors, but manycore processors are not expected to have the support for memory management in hardware. Therefore existing applications will not execute on them. Our compiler will enable the execution of these applications, and therefore utilize the power and performance of latest manycore processors. This edge can greatly contribute to the U.S. competitiveness in information technology, defense systems, and consumer electronic market space.The societal impact, in the long term, will be that the end user will receive high performance, yet power-efficient computing products at reasonable costs. This improves affordability of computing products that we need for everyday living, defense, services, healthcare etc., and elevates standard of living, especially for the economically disadvantaged.