Self-aware computing in the Angstrom processor

Henry Hoffmann, Jim Holt, George Kurian, Eric Lau, Martina Maggio, Jason E. Miller, Sabrina M. Neuman, Mahmut E. Sinangil, Yildiz Sinangil, Anant Agarwal, Anantha P. Chandrakasan, Srinivas Devadas

Abstract: Addressing the challenges of extreme scale computing requires holistic design of new programming models and systems that support those models. This paper discusses the Angstrom processor, which is designed to support a new Self-aware Computing (SEEC) model. In SEEC, applications explicitly state goals, while other systems components provide actions that the SEEC runtime system can use to meet those goals. Angstrom supports this model by exposing sensors and adaptations that traditionally would be managed independently by hardware. This exposure allows SEEC to coordinate hardware actions with actions specified by other parts of the system, and allows the SEEC runtime system to meet application goals while reducing costs (e.g., power consumption).