Proposal: CNS 0454407 PI: Prasanna, Viktor K. Institution: University of Southern California
The investigators will acquire a reconfigurable computer comprised of general purpose processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), a common memory, and an interconnect fabric joined under a programming model that works with all the parts. The acquisition of this machine will enable research at a realistic scale on actual reconfigurable machines for performance testing, validation, and applications demonstrations. This infrastructure will be robust enough to implement application "kernels" such as (e,g, an LU implementation or n-body simulation) that give realistic scale experimental results. Applications that will be explored include matrix operations, computational genomics, molecular dynamics, density functional theory, and finite element methods. The team will also be able to work on energy efficiency for embedded FPGAs. Broader impacts of this project include the potential impact on reconfigurable systems, use of FPGAs for applications, and discoveries in the applications areas. The investigators participate in USC's Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE) program.
