Run-Time Reconfiguration: Evolution of a New Strategy for Computing

Abstract

Run-time reconfiguration (RTR) is an implementation approach that divides an application into a series of sequentially executed stages with each stage implemented as a separate execution module. Local RTR extends this approach by partitioning these stages into finer-grain sub-modules which are constructed to be swapped into the platform as needed to contribute towards a given computation. The RTR approach allows us to move away from the static ``ASIC emulator'' of the past toward the creation of a fundamentally new type of computing system: a system that is capable of adapting its structural organization at run-time to meet the changing needs of algorithms as they execute.

In his talk, Dr. Hutchings will present a review of RTR research at Brigham Young University. He will explain how RTR research has evolved, discuss the current state of the art, and finally, suggest where this exciting research may go in the future.