Notes on the Architectural Panel Session at PLDI,
June 1998.
The panel session at PLDI '98 consisted of three computer
architects giving their views on current trends
in computer architecture, future hardware features, and areas where
software is needed to effectively use processors' capabilities.
Notable Quotes (or paraphrases):
David Papworth, Intel
- Hardware prediction: Processors will add increasing amounts
of "vector-like" execution hardware.
- Software needs: Vectorization is back!
Earl Killian, Tensilica
- Embedded market: cost, code size, power,
time to market are
important; performance is only important to DSP market.
- Compilers for integer DSP are not great.
- Embedded compilers will soon be designing
the processor, not just the code.
Ray Simar, Texas Instruments
- Challenges for DSP compilers: performance isn't
always king.
Other issues include energy per function, reduced coded
size, real-time processing.
- For embedded DSP, compiler moves from useful to
essential.
Computer architecture must exploit semiconductor process yet
be compiler friendly.