Performance Evaluation and Application Development using FPGA-enhanced Cloud Computing Nodes

云计算模式为用户提供了通过互联网访问大型计算节点集群的机会。云计算提供了几个优势：首先，用户只需为他们所需的计算时间付费，而不必购买自己的设备，从而受益。此外，云计算集群的组织使用户可以轻松地扩展他们的程序，以利用大量并行运行的计算节点，从而加快计算要求的计算。最后，云计算允许用户在不太繁忙的时间竞标计算机访问，并受益于较低的费用。近年来，随着多个通用中央处理单元(CPU)的加入，计算节点的能力得到了提高。此外，具有许多简单CPU的专用并行计算机被称为图形处理单元(GPU)，最初是为了加速视觉效果而开发的，它们已经被用来加速更通用的计算，其并行结构与GPU的并行结构相匹配。云计算节点已经采用了这些进步。最近，云计算节点变得可用，其性能通过被称为现场可编程门阵列(FGA)的软件可重新配置芯片而进一步增强。现场可编程门阵列提供了一种性能和成本介于通用软件可编程CPU(和GPU)和仅快速执行特定计算的全定制芯片之间的实现技术。在没有合适的全定制芯片的情况下，现场可编程门阵列被广泛用作构建硬件加速器的平台。然而，直到最近才在云计算节点中提供了FGPA。这个项目是首席调查员(PI)和赞助公司之间的合作，旨在调查一系列有前景的应用--增强了现场可编程门阵列的云计算节点，以解决基于PI专业知识的问题，并可能为公司打开新的商业机会。拟议的Engage赠款资助项目将使Eideticom能够受益于PI以及他在艾伯塔大学的研究生的专业知识和工程时间。

The cloud computing paradigm provides users with access over the Internet to large clusters of computingnodes . Cloud computing offers several advantages: Primarily, users benefit by only paying for the computingtime that they need without having to purchase their own equipment. In addition, cloud computing clusters areorganized to make it easy for users to scale up their programs to exploit a large number of computing nodesthat operate in parallel and thus speed up computationally demanding calculations. Finally, cloud computingallows users to bid for computer access at less busy times and benefit from lower fees. In recent years thecapabilities of computing nodes have increased from the inclusion of multiple general-purpose centralprocessing units (CPUs). Also, specialized parallel computers with many simple CPUs, called graphicsprocessing units (GPUs) and which were developed originally to accelerate visual effects, have been used tospeed up more general calculations whose parallel structure matches that of the GPU. Cloud computing nodeshave already adopted those advances. More recently, cloud computing nodes have become available whoseperformance is further enhanced by software re-configurable chips, called field-programmable gate arrays(FPGAs). FPGAs provide an implementation technology that is intermediate in performance and cost betweengeneral-purpose software-programmable CPUs (and GPUs) and full-custom chips that only perform specificcalculations very fast. FPGAs have been widely used as platforms for building hardware accelerators where nosuitable full-custom chip is available. However, it is only recently that FGPAs have been provided in cloudcomputing nodes. This project is a collaboration between the principal investigator (PI) and the sponsoringcompany to investigate a series of promising applications of FPGA-enhanced cloud computing nodes forproblems that build upon the PI's expertise and that are likely to open up new business opportunities for thecompany. The proposed Engage grant funded project would allow Eideticom to benefit from the expertise andengineering time of the PI as well as his graduate students at the University of Alberta.