Can dataflow subsume von Neumann computing?

  • Authors:
  • R. S. Nikhil

  • Affiliations:
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology Laboratory for Computer Science, 545 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA

  • Venue:
  • ISCA '89 Proceedings of the 16th annual international symposium on Computer architecture
  • Year:
  • 1989

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Abstract

We explore the question: “What can a von Neumann processor borrow from dataflow to make it more suitable for a multiprocessor?” Starting with a simple, “RISC-like” instruction set, we show how to change the underlying processor organization to make it multithreaded. Then, we extend it with three instructions that give it a fine-grained, dataflow capability. We call the result P-RISC, for “Parallel RISC.” Finally, we discuss memory support for such multiprocessors. We compare our approach to existing MIMD machines and to other dataflow machines.