FPGAs as components in heterogeneous high-performance computing systems: raising the abstraction level

Vanderbauwhede, W. and Nabi, S. W. (2016) FPGAs as components in heterogeneous high-performance computing systems: raising the abstraction level. In: Joubert, G. R., Leather, H., Parsons, M., Peters, F. and Sawyer, M. (eds.) Parallel Computing: On the Road to Exascale. Series: Advances in parallel computing (27). IOS Press: Amsterdam, Netherlands, pp. 505-514. ISBN 9781614996200 (doi: 10.3233/978-1-61499-621-7-505)

Abstract

We present an overview of the evolution of programming techniques for Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), with a particular focus on High-Level Synthesis (HLS) and Heterogeneous Computing (HC), and we argue that, in the context of High-Performance Computing (HPC), FPGAs should be treated as components of a larger heterogeneous compute platform. Consequently, HLS and HC tools become compilation targets rather than high-level development tools. Compiler technology has to evolve to automatically create the best compiled program variant by transforming a given original program. We describe our methodology based on type transformations and cost models, which allows to automatically generate correct-by-construction program variants and accurately estimate their performance, so that an optimal program can be constructed by the compilation system.

• Item Type: Book Sections
• Status: Published
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Vanderbauwhede, Professor Wim and Nabi, Dr Syed Waqar
• Authors: Vanderbauwhede, W., and Nabi, S. W.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science
• Publisher: IOS Press
• ISBN: 9781614996200