A non von neumann continuum computer architecture for scalability beyond Moore's law

Abstract

A strategic challenge confronting the continued advance of high performance computing (HPC) to extreme scale is the approaching near-nanoscale semiconductor technology and the end of Moore's Law. This paper introduces the foundations of an innovative class of parallel architecture reversing many of the conventional architecture directions, but benefiting from substantial prior art of previous decades. The Continuum Computer Architecture, or CCA, eschews traditional von Neumann-derived processing logic, instead employing structures composed of fine-grain cells (fontons) that combine functional units, memory, and network. The paper describes how CCA systems of various scales may be organized and implemented using currently available technology. As programming of such systems substantially differs from established practices, a still experimental ParalleX execution model is introduced to be used as a guide for the implementation of related software stack layers, ranging from the operating system to application level constructs. Finally, the HPX-5 runtime system, an advanced implementation of ParalleX core components, is presented as an intermediate software methodology for CCA system computation resource management.