ECE 332 Flashcards
(23 cards)
If your goal was to minimize latency at all costs, which topology would you choose?
Point-to-point
If your data center processes data using almost entirely parallelizable operations and requires extremely high throughput and low latency, what framework should you use to cluster processors?
Infiniband
Suppose that you own a small data center that requires 5 Gbit/s connections between the servers. Your main concern is replacability of parts, as you were unable to create any strong partnerships with factories. Would you use a HSI architecture?
No, due to vendor lock-in and low replacability
To maximize energy efficiency without sacrificing performance, what kind of processor core architecture should your mobile device use?
Heterogeneous compute cores (e.g., big.LITTLE)
What dynamic power management strategy could help reduce overall energy consumption while maintaining responsiveness for a data center that handles unpredictable workloads?
Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS)
What specific engineering challenge should you warn about when using 3D chip stacking to increase memory bandwidth in an AI accelerator chip?
Thermal hotspots; propose microfluidic cooling or thermal-aware chip design
How does the yield of ‘Known Good Dies’ relate to chiplet manufacturing?
Higher yields of known good dies reduce waste and cost in chiplet-based manufacturing
What is the main difference between a traditional monolithic processor and a processor built with chiplets?
Monolithic processors are a single die; chiplet processors use multiple modular dies
Why are interconnects/packaging required in a chiplet-based system?
To connect the separate chiplets and ensure communication between components
Which multi-core approach worked best for the Xbox 360 application and why?
Xbox 360’s symmetric multi-core design, which was easier to program for
Why did Xbox decide to use an 8-way set associative cache?
To reduce cache misses and improve performance
What was the biggest takeaway each company might’ve had from this generation of consoles?
Sony learned the importance of developer-friendly architecture; Microsoft emphasized design simplicity
What is the base logic block of an FPGA?
Lookup Table (LUT)
Why are FPGAs good for real-time signal processing?
They offer high parallelism and can be customized for specific signal tasks
Why might a company choose an FPGA over an ASIC, even if the FPGA is more costly and less energy-efficient?
Faster time-to-market and reconfigurability
What issue arises in different ways of formal verification?
Scalability and cost increase with system complexity
Why is it important to be able to test an entire processor?
To ensure correctness in safety-critical systems like medical devices
In the context of safety-critical systems, what is semiformal verification?
Combines formal methods with simulation to target high-risk areas efficiently
Who created the TPU?
What is the forward pass prediction formula?
Output = Input Matrix × Weights Matrix
Which instruction set architecture is the big.LITTLE system connected to?
ARM
What ideals does big.LITTLE attempt to optimize at the same time through heterogeneous computing?
Performance and power efficiency
Which is not an option the OS on a big.LITTLE-based smartphone has to further optimize power usage?
Turning off the instruction set (not a real option)
