An Undergraduate Parellel Processing Laboratory

具有传统架构的计算机受到固有的限制，称为“冯·诺伊曼瓶颈”。指令从存储器中检索出来，然后由中央处理器（CPU）依次执行。然而，CPU通常能够比程序所在的内存子系统具有更高的速度，因此系统作为一个整体被指令可以“获取”的速率所减慢。此外，许多算法都有可以同时执行或“并行”执行的部分，如果有这样做的设施的话。除了一些昂贵的专用机器外，计算机一直是单指令单数据（SISD）处理器，一次执行一个命令，没有并发的可能性。有些应用程序如果不同时执行涉及单独矢量或数据分区的许多指令，就不能计算机化。现代电子工程课程应包括应用并行技术解决计算速度前沿问题，包括图像和语音分析、高速算法、波形合成和信号处理。因此，本项目建立了一个实验室，专门研究并行计算，使用通用pc作为多处理器板的主机。这为配置系统提供了最大的灵活性，为增量增长提供了机会，并为本科生提供了利用新兴技术的直接能力。该奖金将由首席研究员所在机构提供等额的奖金。

Computers with traditional architectures suffer from an inherent limitation known as the "von Neumann bottleneck." Instructions are retrieved from memory and are then executed sequentially, one-by- one, by the Central Processing Unit (CPU). However, the CPU is generally capable of higher speeds than the memory sub-system in which the program resides, so the system as a whole is slowed by the rate at which instructions can be "fetched." Furthermore, many algorithms have portions which could be executed at the same time or in "parallel" if facilities to do this exist. Except for a few expensive special-purpose machines, computers have been Single Instruction Single Data (SISD) processors, performing commands one at a time without the possibility of concurrency. There are applications which cannot be computerized without simultaneous execution of many instructions involving separate vectors or partitions of the data. A modern Electrical Engineering curriculum should include the application of parallel techniques to problems at the frontiers of computing speed, including image and speech analysis, high speed arithmetic, waveform synthesis and signal processing. Therefore, this project establishes a laboratory dedicated to parallel computing using general purpose PCs as hosts to multiprocessor boards. This provides maximum flexibility in configuring systems, the opportunity for incremental growth and the immediate ability for undergraduates to take advantage of new and emerging technology. The award is being matched by an equal amount from the principal investigator's institution.