PDF Special issue on Software Controlled Memories
Software Controlled Memories, or Scratch Pad Memories (SPMs) are raw memories that are close to the processor pipeline, but must be explicitly managed by the software. Software controlled memories offer great promise, since SPM-based processor architectures are simpler to build, consume less power, promise predictability, and offer more storage space/transistor. Using SPMs require that data movement in and out of the SPMs must be explicitly instantiated in the application in the form of DMA (Direct Memory Access) instructions. This SPM management can be implemented in the application, or even in the operating system. Since this is difficult to accomplish by the application programmer efficiently, hardware, compiler, runtime and programming language support is needed to support SPM-based architectures. Programming support needs to be provided not only for efficiently managing data of a single application on a single SPM, but for multiple applications executing on multiple cores using multiple SPMs, often in an hierarchical organization. Efficient support for sharing data among applications may be a necessary part of the whole solution. This special issue aims at collating new research along all dimensions of software-controlled memories. The topics of interest in this call include, but are not limited to:
Research areas of interest are the following:
- Software-controlled memory based manycore architectures
- Programming language interface and support for software-controlled memories
- Compiler support for software-controlled memories
- Runtime support for software-controlled memories
- Hardware-software hybrid approaches for software-controlled memories
- Multiple and hierarchical SPMs on manycore architectures
- Inter-task communication in software-controlled memory based manycore architectures
- SPMs in real-time systems
- Applications with SPM focus
The manuscript must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper was completely re-written or substantially extended (30%). The papers should be submitted via the Manuscript Central website and should adhere to standard ACM TECS formatting requirements. The page count limit is 25.
Authors should submit their journal version at Manuscript Central adhering to the formatting instructions on the TECS Web page and indicate that you are submitting to the Special Issue on Special issue on Software Controlled Memories on the first page and in the field "Author's Cover Letter:" in Manuscript Central. For additional questions please send an email Aviral Shrivastava at aviral.shrivastava@asu.edu.