Abstract:
In this paper, we describe the history and development of the IBM POWER ® vector-scalar architecture, as well as how the design goals of hardware efficiency and software ...Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
In this paper, we describe the history and development of the IBM POWER ® vector-scalar architecture, as well as how the design goals of hardware efficiency and software interoperability are achieved by integrating existing floating-point and vector functions into a new unified architecture and function unit. The vector-scalar instructions were defined with an emphasis on out-of-the-box performance and consumability, while accelerating a broad set of enterprise server workloads. Vector-scalar instructions were first introduced in the IBM POWER7 ® architecture to accelerate high-performance computing applications. With the introduction of the POWER8 ® processor, the vector-scalar architecture expanded to accelerate a diverse set of enterprise workloads including unstructured text and string processing, business analytics, in-memory databases, big data, and stream coding. We conclude this paper with a description of workload performance and application acceleration to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new vector-scalar architecture.
Published in: IBM Journal of Research and Development ( Volume: 60, Issue: 2-3, March-May 2016)
IBM Systems, Poughkeepsie, NY
Michael Gschwind Dr. Gschwind leads mainframe and Power architecture development in the IBM Systems division where he is a Senior Technical Staff Member and Senior Manager of the Systems Architecture team. Dr. Gschwind defined the vector-scalar architecture as the architecture lead for the PERCS (productive, easy-to-use, reliable computing system) project defining the future POWER7 processor, and continues to lead its de...Show More
Michael Gschwind Dr. Gschwind leads mainframe and Power architecture development in the IBM Systems division where he is a Senior Technical Staff Member and Senior Manager of the Systems Architecture team. Dr. Gschwind defined the vector-scalar architecture as the architecture lead for the PERCS (productive, easy-to-use, reliable computing system) project defining the future POWER7 processor, and continues to lead its de...View more
Contents IBM Systems, Poughkeepsie, NY
Michael Gschwind Dr. Gschwind leads mainframe and Power architecture development in the IBM Systems division where he is a Senior Technical Staff Member and Senior Manager of the Systems Architecture team. Dr. Gschwind defined the vector-scalar architecture as the architecture lead for the PERCS (productive, easy-to-use, reliable computing system) project defining the future POWER7 processor, and continues to lead its development as IBM Systems Architecture Chief Architect. Prior to his current role, he was Floating-Point Chief Architect and Unit Lead, and Technical Lead for core reliability for the Blue Gene*
*Trademark, service mark, or registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both./Q. In addition to his hardware development roles, Dr. Gschwind has also held key software leadership roles; he developed the first Cell compiler and served as technical lead for the Cell software environment. Most recently, he also served as Chief Architect for the OpenPOWER software environment where he led the definition of ABIs and APIs. Dr. Gschwind received his Ph.D. degree from Technische Universität Wien in Vienna, Austria in 1996. He has published numerous articles and received over 100 patents in the area of computer architecture. In 2006, Dr. Gschwind was recognized as IT Innovator and Influencer by
ComputerWeek. He is a member of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) SIGMICRO (Special Interest Group on Microarchitecture) Executive Board, a Member of the IBM Academy of Technology, an IBM Master Inventor, an ACM Distinguished Speaker, and an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Fellow.
Michael Gschwind Dr. Gschwind leads mainframe and Power architecture development in the IBM Systems division where he is a Senior Technical Staff Member and Senior Manager of the Systems Architecture team. Dr. Gschwind defined the vector-scalar architecture as the architecture lead for the PERCS (productive, easy-to-use, reliable computing system) project defining the future POWER7 processor, and continues to lead its development as IBM Systems Architecture Chief Architect. Prior to his current role, he was Floating-Point Chief Architect and Unit Lead, and Technical Lead for core reliability for the Blue Gene*
*Trademark, service mark, or registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both./Q. In addition to his hardware development roles, Dr. Gschwind has also held key software leadership roles; he developed the first Cell compiler and served as technical lead for the Cell software environment. Most recently, he also served as Chief Architect for the OpenPOWER software environment where he led the definition of ABIs and APIs. Dr. Gschwind received his Ph.D. degree from Technische Universität Wien in Vienna, Austria in 1996. He has published numerous articles and received over 100 patents in the area of computer architecture. In 2006, Dr. Gschwind was recognized as IT Innovator and Influencer by
ComputerWeek. He is a member of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) SIGMICRO (Special Interest Group on Microarchitecture) Executive Board, a Member of the IBM Academy of Technology, an IBM Master Inventor, an ACM Distinguished Speaker, and an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Fellow.View more
