Comments on: What would you do with 1000 CPUs? http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/ sharing insights into the people side of ASIC design Thu, 17 May 2012 15:30:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Aditya Ramachandran http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-579 Aditya Ramachandran Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:24:40 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-579 I'd kidnap every R&D engineer from the EDA industry, put them in the server room and say "Now write code that inter-operates and correlates, or the kitten gets it..." I’d kidnap every R&D engineer from the EDA industry, put them in the server room and say “Now write code that inter-operates and correlates, or the kitten gets it…”

]]> By: Jeremy Ralph http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-575 Jeremy Ralph Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:51:20 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-575 How about this. I'd require licenses for the following tools: simulator, synthesis, logical equivalence checker (LEC). With the simulator and synth tool I'd create a netlist for a performance critical IP but not really optimize the performance.... that's what all the CPUs are for. The way you code the RTL has big impact on the performance... ... so I'd create some AI to use all the CPU resources, tweak the different aspects at the RTL level, and ensure that it passes LEC against the un-optimized netlist. Then I'd have a very high performance IP. I used to know a very smart RTL developer who used this technique, but he did iterations of tweaking the RLT manually, synthesizing, LECing to create some very optimized RTL and corresponding netlist with the specific synthesis tool. If only the synthesis tools were smarter this wouldn't be required :) How about this. I’d require licenses for the following tools: simulator, synthesis, logical equivalence checker (LEC). With the simulator and synth tool I’d create a netlist for a performance critical IP but not really optimize the performance…. that’s what all the CPUs are for. The way you code the RTL has big impact on the performance…

… so I’d create some AI to use all the CPU resources, tweak the different aspects at the RTL level, and ensure that it passes LEC against the un-optimized netlist. Then I’d have a very high performance IP.

I used to know a very smart RTL developer who used this technique, but he did iterations of tweaking the RLT manually, synthesizing, LECing to create some very optimized RTL and corresponding netlist with the specific synthesis tool. If only the synthesis tools were smarter this wouldn’t be required :)

]]> By: harry http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-572 harry Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:59:36 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-572 Better yet ... how about re-training displaced design engineers impacted by the economic crisis ;-) Better yet … how about re-training displaced design engineers impacted by the economic crisis ;-)

]]> By: KarenB http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-571 KarenB Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:37:57 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-571 I would train classrooms full of university students around the world on how to design a modern low-power IC with Synopsys' tools. I would train classrooms full of university students around the world on how to design a modern low-power IC with Synopsys’ tools.

]]> By: Gaurav Jalan http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-567 Gaurav Jalan Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:11:30 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-567 Harry, would you be generous enough to add a "fat" internet connection to this bill for support the jobs coming in... :) With that I'd host these CPUs & Licenses in a "pay as you use" mode. Since the flow for any task (verif, back end ...) is particular for any organization they should be able to push the data required to run a batch mode task (with their scripts controlling the flow) onto this farm and then pull back the results. They just pay for the time bound usage of these resources. Harry, would you be generous enough to add a “fat” internet connection to this bill for support the jobs coming in… :)

With that I’d host these CPUs & Licenses in a “pay as you use” mode.
Since the flow for any task (verif, back end …) is particular for any organization they should be able to push the data required to run a batch mode task (with their scripts controlling the flow) onto this farm and then pull back the results. They just pay for the time bound usage of these resources.

]]> By: John McGehee http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-565 John McGehee Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:15:54 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-565 My current client has FAMs with the major EDA vendors. Like everyone, we run our expensive EDA software on fast and plentiful servers. Thank you for your generosity, but we have already paid for all the EDA software we can use next month. I'll just turn off the 1000 CPUs and take the electricity. Your offer does include electricity, right? My current client has FAMs with the major EDA vendors. Like everyone, we run our expensive EDA software on fast and plentiful servers.

Thank you for your generosity, but we have already paid for all the EDA software we can use next month. I’ll just turn off the 1000 CPUs and take the electricity. Your offer does include electricity, right?

]]> By: Gabe Moretti http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-563 Gabe Moretti Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:01:36 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-563 Heat my house and pool while selling time to shivering designers. Heat my house and pool while selling time to shivering designers.

]]> By: John Eaton http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-562 John Eaton Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:01:34 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-562 Harry, I wouldn't do anything with them. Unless I was already in the middle of a project already using the same hosting service then it would take a month just to incorporate these into my design flow. I don't waste my time on "pumpkinware" John Eaton Harry,

I wouldn’t do anything with them. Unless I was already in the middle of a project already using the same hosting service then it would take a month just to incorporate these into my design flow.

I don’t waste my time on “pumpkinware”

John Eaton

]]> By: harry http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-561 harry Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:22:07 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-561 Ah, but you only get them for a month, so it's only $8.25M. Still, a tidy sum. Good start, let's hear some more ideas. What kind of tool would you get and what would you actually DO with it? Sim? P&R. STA? Formal verification? Ah, but you only get them for a month, so it’s only $8.25M. Still, a tidy sum.

Good start, let’s hear some more ideas. What kind of tool would you get and what would you actually DO with it? Sim? P&R. STA? Formal verification?

]]> By: Jeremy Ralph http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-560 Jeremy Ralph Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:11:18 +0000 http://theasicguy.com/2009/04/07/what-would-you-do-with-1000-cpus/#comment-560 I'd have a party, bigger than Denali's, with drinks on me. That is assuming that I could sub-license them out to other companies. For argument's sake let's say I could get $10K/yearly subscriber and timeshare each license between 10 paying subscribers on average. That's $100M/year by my math ($10K/subscriber*10 subscribers/license *1000 licenses). I’d have a party, bigger than Denali’s, with drinks on me. That is assuming that I could sub-license them out to other companies. For argument’s sake let’s say I could get $10K/yearly subscriber and timeshare each license between 10 paying subscribers on average. That’s $100M/year by my math ($10K/subscriber*10 subscribers/license *1000 licenses).

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