Title: Embedded Multicore Processors and Systems

Presenters: Dr. Amlan Chakrabarti1. and Mr. Suman Sau2

1
Visiting Research Associate, Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University and Reader, A.K. Choudhury
School of Information Technology, University of Calcutta (On leave).
2
Visiting Researcher, Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore and Research
Scholar, A.K. Choudhury School of Information Technology, University of Calcutta

Topic overview: Multicore technologies aim to exploit concurrency, increase computational density, handle
partitioned workloads or achieve some combinations of these objectives. Multi-core processors scale performance
by putting multiple cores on a single chip, effectively integrating a complete multiprocessor on one chip. Since the
total performance of a multi-core is improved without increasing the clock frequency, multi-cores offer a better
performance/Watt ratio than a single core solution with similar performance. In a nutshell embedded multicore can
be defined as a technology, a methodology, and a business and research opportunity. Regardless of the intended
goals, most of the embedded industry has been challenged with developing new approaches and tools to let system
developers optimize their multicore-targeted programs. Some of the promising new platforms for multicore
embedded technology are Xilinx Open Sparc (supports upto 8 cores), ARM Cortex-A9 (supports 2-4 cores),
Pluratiy’s Hypercore processor (capable of supporting 16-256 cores) and Tilera’s TilePro64 processor (supports 64
cores).
Machine learning applications are the killer-applications of for present day systems. In machine
intelligence we need to mine huge amount of data and organize the data automatically on our behalf. However, large
data sets require -- in the best case -- long training times, if at all computable in a finite amount of time and thus
computational complexity of the latest most promising machine learning approaches is more than challenging. The
computational power of multicore machines could be used to solve machine learning problems much faster and in
parallel, if we only knew how to properly exploit them.

Target audience: People from industry having knowledge of embedded systems and research scholars, postgraduate
and graduate students from the branches of computer science, information technology, electronics and electrical
engineering streams.
The participants will learn the key concepts of embedded multicore systems, which is the most
emerging development platform in the present day industry and research. An exposure to the development tools and
some demo application designs will also be briefed in context to the FPGA based multicore embedded systems.
An expected audience number from 40-50 is expected.
Content details: The key topics that will be covered in the tutorial are:

 Embedded Multicore- The technology and the methodology.

 I/O data coherence in embedded multicore systems.
 NoC concepts for embedded multicore.
 Parallelizing an application onto a multicore platform.
 Software standards for Multicore Era.
 FPGA based embedded multicore systems.
 Handshaking with the FPGA based embedded multicore development platforms.

Format: Presentation will be delivered in Microsoft PowerPoint which might have some multimedia content.
Software/Hardware demonstration will be done by the presenters and the needed tools will be brought by the
presenters on their own. If the auditorium is big more than one display screen for the audience will be excellent.

Organizers & presenters' expertise:

Dr. Amlan Chakrabarti is presently a Visiting Research Associate in the Dept. of Electrical Engineering,
Princeton University, New Jersey, U.S.A., he also holds a permanent position as a Reader in the A.K.Choudhury
School and of Information Technology, University of Calcutta, India. He is an M.Tech. and Ph.D (Tech.) from the
University of Calcutta, India, and has around 10 years experience combining his industrial, research and academic
activities. Prior to joining academics he was an electronic design and automation engineer in Orcad Inc. (presently
taken over by Cadence Design Systems), and he has also served IIIT Kolkata and West Bengal University of
Technology as faculty member, prior to his present assignment in the University of Calcutta. He has been the
recipient of prestigious BOYSCAST award from the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, in the
year 2011, for his contribution to engineering research. He has obtained visiting research fellowship from the
premier intuitions like Princeton University, USA (2011-2012) and Buffalo State University at New York, USA
(2007) and also member of the International Collaboration of CBM-FAIR project led by GSI Helmholtz laboratory,
Germany in the projects related to embedded hardware design. He was also invited as the workshop leader in the
Digital Design track, in the popular industrial workshop NEPCON 2008, Penang Malyasia. He is a reviewer of IEEE
Transactions on Computers and Elsevier Simulation Modeling and Practice Theory. He has been the program
committee member of a number of international conferences and some of the recent ones are VDAT 2012, EAIT
2012, CISIM 2011, VLSI 2011, EAIT 2011, ReTIS 2011, ICDCN 2010. He has around 45 publications in
International Journals and Conference Proceedings. His present research interests are Quantum Computing,
Embedded System Design, VLSI design, and Video & Image Processing.

Mr. Suman Sau ………………………

The publications and the presentations delivered by the authors allied to the tutorial topic are given as below:

Publications:

Presentations:

International
 A. Chakrabarti, “Advances in Electronic Design And Automation”, NEPCON 2008, Penang Malaysia, June
3, 2008.
 A. Chakrabarti, “Computer for Future Devices”, NEPCON 2008, Penang Malaysia, June 4, 2008.

National

1. A. Chakrabarti, “Crypto Implementation on Embedded Platforms”, Tutorial Workshop on Cryptology,

University of Calcutta, 17th April,2011
2. A. Chakrabarti, “Embedded Multicore- A designer's Challenge”, National Seminar on Embedded Systems,
GIET, Bhubaneswar, 15th April,2011.
3. A. Chakrabarti, VLSI Trends in Micro Architecture Past, Present and Future, National Seminar, Hoogly
Institute of Technology, 26th January, 2011.
4. A. Chakrabarti, “Implementation of Real Time Data Encryption Algorithms for FPGA Based Embedded
Applications”, National Seminar, Budge Budge Institute of Technology, West Bengal, 8th January, 2011.
5. A. Chakrabarti and S. Sau, “Development of Embedded Systems Design Using FPGA” ICCCT, 2010,
MNIT Allahabad.
6. A. Chakrabarti, “Embedded Systems for Real Time Image and Video Processing, UGC sponsored
Workshop on Image Processing and its Application in VLSI Circuits, Department of Electronics and
Telecommunication Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India, March 25th ,2010.

7. A. Chakrabarti, “ FPGA based SOC Design”, Student Workshop, Institute of Engineering and
Management, Kolkata, India, March 10th , 2010.

8. A. Chakrabarti, “Advanced FPGA Design and Power Analysis”, Tutorial talk, Workshop on DSP &
Embedded System Design on Reconfigurable Hardware Platform, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology
Bangalore, India, 30th January, 2010.

9. A. Chakrabarti, “Introduction to DSP Designs on FPGA”, Tutorial talk, Workshop on DSP & Embedded
System Design on Reconfigurable Hardware Platform, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology Bangalore,
India, 31st January, 2010.

10. A. Chakrabarti, “Embedded Systems Design Using FPGA”, Tutorial Talk, Silver Jubilee Conference on
Communication Technologies and VLSI , Vellore Institute of Technology University, Chennai, India, 7th
October 2009.

11. A. Chakrabarti, “Architectural Design and Optimizations for VLSI Circuits”, 2 Day Workshop Program,
organized by Computer Society of India, Kolkata Chapter, 1st August, 2009.