conferences/ngisearch2023/interview_jun2023.mdwn

   1 # Questions
   2
   3 <https://bugs.libre-soc.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1095>
   4
   5 ## __Introduce yourself and your company.__
   6
   7   I am Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton, lead of the Libre-SOC project. For the NGI Search project
   8 we created a consortium of the following companies:
   9     - Red Semiconductor, lead by David Calderwood
  10     - VectorCamp, represented by Konstantinos Margaritis
  11     - VanTosh, lead by Toshaan Bharvani
  12
  13 ## Why is SVP64 relevant to Next Generation Internet Search?
  14
  15 Everyone thinks the Internet is a Software-only environment.
  16 Reality is that Software can only run on hardware, and we are
  17 addressing the fundamental performance and power-efficiency of
  18 the Hardware, by verifying that low-level memory, string,
  19 regular-expression and
  20 Machine Learning algorithms run optimally on SVP64.
  21
  22 The biggest differentiator however is that unlike say Intel
  23 or ARM, if we find that SVP64 is sub-optimal we will take the
  24 opportunity provided us by NGI Search to investigate how to
  25 actually improve the Instruction Set Architecture.
  26
  27 The bottom line is that hardware-enhanced performance benefits
  28 *everyone's* algorithms, with performance improvements.
  29
  30 ## Who are the individual consortium members, and what are their specialisations?
  31   - Red Semiconductor is a fabless semiconductor company which will implement working Silicon deploying the SVP64 Enhancements to the Power ISA, making developer kits available to prospective IoT/EDGE customers, the FOSSHW and NGI hardware communities alike
  32   - VectorCamp is a provider of SIMD Vectorization and Software optimization and Training Services.
  33   - VanTosh is an ISV with expertise in porting to the POWER platform, and an MSP for running your private cloud based multi-architecture like POWER machines, we also are very active in open source communities for software and hardware.
  34
  35 ## __Tell me about your project?__
  36
  37  With prior kind funding from NLnet and NGI POINTER we have established
  38  and implemented the principles of the SVP64 Extension to the Power ISA.
  39  This Extension is optimised to greatly simplify mathematical calculations,
  40  providing benefits in the fields of Cryptography, Machine Learning,
  41  Autonomous systems, Audio/Video, DSP and many other general-purpose areas.
  42
  43  The building-blocks of SVP64 are designed to provide by combination these
  44  solutions and we are now working, with the support of NGI Search, to
  45  establish new building-blocks to include Advanced Search capabilities,
  46  which are also applicable to all of the above.
  47
  48 ## __What milestones have you set and how are you going about achieving them__
  49
  50 The three key milestones are: analysis, review and enhancement,
  51 and we are already well into the analysis process.  The review
  52 process will complete Stage 2, and implementation will be Stage 3.
  53
  54 Across the three participating organisations we have a multi-skilled
  55 team and there will be cross-organisational cooperation on all Milestones.
  56 For those interested, anyone will be able to follow our work in real-time
  57 at <https://libre-soc.org>
  58
  59 ## What are your goals for the middle/long-time future?
  60
  61 The ultimate goal is to create a progressive family of micro-processors
  62 and this grant allows us to validate the critical elements of this
  63 project, ensuring that the processor family is efficient at string,
  64 data and machine learning and provides support for standard open source software libraries.
  65
  66 ##        How have you used (or will you use) the received money?
  67
  68 TODO
  69
  70 ##        How has this money helped you?
  71
  72 TODO
  73
  74 ##        How has being part of NGI Search helped you?
  75
  76 TODO
  77
  78 ##        What positive aspects have you found within the NGI Search initiative?
  79
  80 TODO
  81
  82 ## Any piece of advice for those who are looking for public funding?
  83
  84 read the "call", make sure your application addresses it directly,
  85 and have a coherent vision (a "why").