INF5063 – Programming heterogeneous multi-core architectures

Course description

• Course content
• Learning outcome
• Admission
• Prerequisites

• Overlapping courses
• Teaching
• Examination

Course content

The course addresses issues related to heterogeneous multi-core architectures that are in all computing varying from mobile phones, commodity desktops to large computing clusters. The students will use and program three different architectures, and have to learn how to handle different types of asymmetric cores, interconnects and memory. During the course, the students will understand the challenges in writing efficient programs for the different architectures.

Lab-assignments are an important part of the course. The students program the SIMD units found in modern processors, graphics processing units (GPUs) from Nvidia and machines connected with PCI Express interconnect from Dolphin Interconnect Solutions.

Learning outcome

• Understand how a typical multimedia workload such as a video encoder is built up.
• Use profiling to identify and fix bottlenecks in programs.
• Detailed knowledge about parallelize, offload and optimize parts of a serial program on heterogeneous multi-core architectures.
• Use the SIMD units found on almost all modern processors.
• Program Nvidia GPUs using the CUDA framework.
• Using PCI Express interconnect to distribute workloads in several machines.

Admission

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Prerequisites

Recommended previous knowledge

INF3190 – Data communications (continued)/INF4190 – Data communications (discontinued) and INF3151 – Operating systems (continued)/INF4151 – Operating systems (continued).

Overlapping courses

• 5 credits overlap with INF5062 – Programming asymmetric multi-core processors (discontinued)
• 10 credits overlap with INF9063 – Programming heterogeneous multi-core architectures (continued)

Teaching

4 sessions with 6 hours lectures/presentations

3 sessions with 3 hours lab.

Examination

Graded mark will be handed out based on 3 graded assignments (home exam) with oral presentation that account for approximately 33% each. Failing a graded assignment does still allow participation in the remaining exams. All exams must be taken during the same semester.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Explanations and appeals

• Explanation of grades and appeals

Resit an examination

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass the original examination.

Withdrawal from an examination

It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.

Other

It is strongly recommended to attend the first lecture since it will be given important information.