Advanced computer architecture

CS-470 / 8 credits

Teacher: Ienne Paolo

Language: English

Summary

The course studies techniques to exploit Instruction-Level Parallelism (ILP) statically and dynamically. It also addresses some aspects of the design of domain-specific accelerators. Finally, it explores security challenges based on microarchitectural features and hardware isolation techniques.

Content

Pushing processor performance to its limits:

  • Principles of Instruction Level Parallelism (ILP)
  • Register renaming techniques
  • Prediction and speculation
  • Simultaneous multithreading
  • VLIW and compiler techniques for ILP
  • Dynamic binary translation

Domain specific architectures and accelerators:

  • Specificities of embedded vs. general computing processors
  • Overview of DSPs and related compilation challenges
  • High-Level Synthesis and accelerators

Hardware security:

  • Information leakage through the microarchitecture
  • Trusted Execution Environments
  • Physical side-channel attacks

Keywords

Processors, Instruction Level Parallelism, Systems-on-Chip, Embedded Systems, High-Level Synthesis, Hardware Security.

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

  • CS-208 Computer Architecture I

Recommended courses

  • CS-209 Computer Architecture II

Important concepts to start the course

Undergraduate knowledge of digital circuit design and of computer architecture

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

  • Design strategies to exploit instruction level parallelism in processors.
  • Contrast static and dynamic techniques for instruction level parallelism.
  • Design effective processor (micro-)architectures for which efficient compilers can be written.
  • Develop hardware accelerators competitive to best commercial processors
  • Defend against security threats based on microarchitectural processor features

Teaching methods

Courses, labs, and compulsory homeworks.

Assessment methods

Homeworks (30%)

Final exam (70%)

Supervision

Forum Yes

Resources

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

No

Bibliography

  • John L. Hennessy and David A. Patterson, Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach, Morgan Kaufman, 6th edition, 2017.

Ressources en bibliothèque

Moodle Link

Prerequisite for

  • CS-471 Advanced Multiprocessor Architecture

In the programs

  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Advanced computer architecture
  • Lecture: 3 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Labs: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: mandatory
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Advanced computer architecture
  • Lecture: 3 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Labs: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: mandatory
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Advanced computer architecture
  • Lecture: 3 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Labs: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Advanced computer architecture
  • Lecture: 3 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Labs: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Advanced computer architecture
  • Lecture: 3 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Labs: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: mandatory
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Advanced computer architecture
  • Lecture: 3 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Labs: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: mandatory
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Advanced computer architecture
  • Lecture: 3 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Labs: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Advanced computer architecture
  • Lecture: 3 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Labs: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Advanced computer architecture
  • Lecture: 3 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Labs: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional

Reference week

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