GPP Stream

Exascale computation systems will need to simultaneously meet challenges related to performance, system cost, and energy efficiency. To deliver performance, a vast amount of resources is required, but the wrong choices of components, architecture, or implementation might result in a system which is much too expensive and too power-hungry. To find the right balance, global system level optimization is necessary.

EPI, therefore, intends to share a strong set of common technology across different application domains. Starting from the selection of cutting-edge process technology, a low-power design approach ranges from massive parallelism, specialized architecture, low-voltage operating point, and fine grain power management. The software stack will be designed to integrate and take advantage of these features to achieve high-energy efficiency and maximize performance across a wide range of layers from the low-level firmware, all the way up to system software and application run-times. For this purpose, EPI will harmonize the heterogeneous computing environment by defining a common approach: the so-called Common Platform (CP). It will include the global architecture (hardware and software) specification, common design methodology, and global approach for power management and security.