Harnessing the power of next-generation shared memory multiprocessors

经过几十年的研究，分布式计算在硬件设计的颠覆性创新的驱动下继续提供刺激的挑战和机遇。 打破传统分布式计算模型的模式，未来的分布式系统将看到大量以复杂方式连接的内核、新的指令集功能、先进的电源管理功能和非易失性存储器。 这些设计特性承诺使未来的分布式系统比以往任何时候都更强大，但代价是更复杂的软件。该研究计划的长期目标是通过重新审视基本问题来利用下一代分布式计算平台的力量，例如并行执行线程如何有效地共享资源，以及大型系统如何在软件和硬件组件故障时幸存下来。 在短期内，该计划将侧重于实现高度并行和容错数据结构的工具和技术。 该计划的具体目标是：（1）了解新兴多核平台中同步的成本，并利用获得的见解为此类平台设计高效的共享数据结构;（2）开发更强大和高效的机制，用于在服务器集群中分发数据结构;以及（3）设计改进的技术，用于使用非易失性存储器来保护共享数据结构免受故障。通过拥抱分布式计算的新机遇，该计划将推进在未来的硬件平台上构建新型信息系统所需的基础研究，并培养高素质的人才，这些人才对加拿大的技术领导地位至关重要。

After decades of research, distributed computing continues to provide stimulating challenges and opportunities driven by disruptive innovations in hardware design. Breaking the mold of traditional distributed computing models, tomorrow's distributed systems will see large numbers of cores connected in complex ways, new instruction set features, advanced power management capabilities, and non-volatile memories. These design features promise to make future distributed systems more capable than ever before, at the expense of more complex software.****The long-term goal of this research program is to harness the power of next-generation distributed computing platforms by revisiting fundamental questions, such as how parallel threads of execution can share resources effectively, and how large systems can survive the failure of software and hardware components. In the short-term, the program will focus on tools and techniques for implementing highly-parallel and fault-tolerant data structures. The specific objectives of the program are: (1) to understand the cost of synchronization in emerging multi-core platforms, and use the insights gained to design efficient shared data structures for such platforms; (2) to develop more robust and efficient mechanisms for distributing data structures across clusters of servers; and (3) to devise improved techniques for protecting shared data structures against failures using non-volatile memory.****By embracing new opportunities in distributed computing, this program will advance fundamental research necessary for building novel information systems on tomorrow's hardware platforms, and train highly qualified personnel in skills essential to Canada's technological leadership.