SEMINARS SPRING 2008
HONR 219A Toward a New Era of Desktop Supercomputing
Monday/Wednesday 2:00 - 3:15 p.m.
Prof. Uzi Vishkin, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Credit will be granted for only one of the following: HONR 219A or ENEE 459P.
Commodity computers are undergoing a fundamental change, unprecedented since the advent of computers in the 1940s. In the first chapter of computer history that spanned from 1946 through 2003, clock frequency had been improving at a stunning exponential rate. Beginning in 2004, clock frequency is hardly improving and is not expected to improve much due to implementation issues, such as power consumption. However, the number of transistors on a single chip keeps increasing at an exponential rate as before and is expected to reach tens of billions by the time you graduate, up from tens of thousands 30 years earlier. The 2007 fourth edition of Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach, by J. Hennessy and D. Patterson—perhaps the single most popular computer engineering textbook--summarizes the situation as follows: "…this fork in computer architecture means that for the first time in history, no one is building a much faster serial processor. If you want your program to run significantly faster … you’re going to have to parallelize your program."
This seminar will explore the fascinating intellectual challenge that the rather common task of programming is going to entail. Parallel algorithms and parallel programming represent an "alien intellectual culture". Unlike standard serial programming that is naturally related to previously understood forms of reasoning (e.g., mathematical induction), or familiar activities in our physical world, little has prepared us for the parallel computing era that is upon us. Students will analyze and interpret quantitative information, demonstrate the soundness of their understanding through parallel programming, consider how the findings and ideas will impact society, and communicate their learning orally and in writing.
For a recent UMD press release on the new computer, please look up: http://www.eng.umd.edu/media/pressreleases/pr062607_supercomputer.html
Students will learn a new way for parallel algorithmic thinking and acquire hands-on experience in programming a new 64-processor computer that was built by Dr. Vishkin’s research team at UMD. Seminar assignments will include: 3-4 programming assignments, 3-4 short paper homework assignments, a midterm, and a final exam.
Readings will include: Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing by David Harel, and handouts on parallel algorithms.
Prerequisite:
Basic experience with a programming language such as C or Java. No other
background is required, but the course is not recommended for students
who are intimidated by basic mathematical concepts, such as mathematical
induction.
CORE: Mathematics and Formal Reasoning [MS]
