--- /dev/null
+\documentclass[slidestop]{beamer}
+\usepackage{beamerthemesplit}
+\usepackage{graphics}
+\usepackage{pstricks}
+
+\graphicspath{{./}}
+
+\title{The Libre-SOC Hybrid 3D CPU}
+\author{Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton}
+
+
+\begin{document}
+
+\frame{
+ \begin{center}
+ \huge{The Libre-SOC Hybrid 3D CPU}\\
+ \vspace{32pt}
+ \Large{Augmenting the OpenPOWER ISA}\\
+ \Large{to provide 3D and Video instructions}\\
+ \Large{(properly and officially) and make a GPU}\\
+ \vspace{24pt}
+ \Large{FOSDEM2021}\\
+ \vspace{16pt}
+ \large{Sponsored by NLnet's PET Programme}\\
+ \vspace{6pt}
+ \large{\today}
+ \end{center}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Why another SoC?}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Intel Management Engine, Apple QA issues, Spectre\vspace{6pt}
+ \item Endless proprietary drivers, "simplest" solution: \\
+ License proprietary hard macros (with proprietary firmware)\\
+ Adversely affects product development cost\\
+ due to opaque driver bugs (Samsung S3C6410 / S5P100)
+ \vspace{6pt}
+ \item Alternative: Intel and Valve-Steam collaboration\\
+ "Most productive business meeting ever!"\\
+ https://tinyurl.com/valve-steam-intel
+ \vspace{6pt}
+ \item Because for 30 years I Always Wanted To Design A CPU
+ \vspace{6pt}
+ \item Ultimately it is a strategic \textit{business} objective to
+ develop entirely Libre hardware, firmware and drivers.
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Why OpenPOWER?}
+
+\vspace{15pt}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Good ecosystem essential\\
+ linux kernel, u-boot, compilers, OSes,\\
+ Reference Implementation(s)\vspace{10pt}
+ \item Supportive Foundation and Members\\
+ need to be able to submit ISA augmentations\\
+ (for proper peer review)\vspace{10pt}
+ \item No NDAs, full transparency must be acceptable\\
+ due to being funded under NLnet's PET Programme\vspace{10pt}
+ \item OpenPOWER: established for decades, excellent Foundation,\\
+ Microwatt as Reference, approachable and friendly.
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+\frame{\frametitle{How can you help?}
+
+\vspace{5pt}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Start here! https://libre-soc.org \\
+ Mailing lists https://lists.libre-soc.org \\
+ IRC Freenode libre-soc \\
+ etc. etc. (it's a Libre project, go figure) \\
+ \vspace{3pt}
+ \item Can I get paid? Yes! NLnet funded\\
+ See https://libre-soc.org/nlnet/\#faq \\
+ \vspace{3pt}
+ \item Also profit-sharing in any commercial ventures \\
+ \vspace{3pt}
+ \item How many opportunities to develop Libre SoCs exist,\\
+ and actually get paid for it?
+ \vspace{3pt}
+ \item I'm not a developer, how can I help?\\
+ - Plenty of research needed, artwork, website \\
+ - Help find customers and OEMs willing to commit (LOI)
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{What goes into a typical SoC?}
+\vspace{9pt}
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item 15 to 20mm BGA package: 2.5 to 5 watt power consumption\\
+ heat sink normally not required (simplifies overall design)
+ \vspace{3pt}
+ \item Fully-integrated peripherals (not Northbridge/Southbridge)\\
+ USB, HDMI, RGB/TTL, SD/MMC, I2C, UART, SPI, GPIO etc. etc.
+ \vspace{3pt}
+ \item Built-in GPU (shared memory bus, 3rd party licensed) \vspace{3pt}
+ \item Built-in VPU (likewise, proprietary)\vspace{3pt}
+ \item Target price between \$2.50 and \$30 depending on market\\
+ Radically different from IBM POWER9 Core (200 Watt)
+ \vspace{3pt}
+ \item We're doing the same, just with a hybrid architecture.\\
+ CPU == GPU == VPU
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Simple SBC-style SoC}
+
+\begin{center}
+\includegraphics[width=0.9\textwidth]{shakti_libre_soc.jpg}
+\end{center}
+
+}
+
+\frame{\frametitle{What's different about Libre-SOC?}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Hybrid - integrated. The CPU \textit{is} the GPU.\\
+ The GPU \textit{is} the CPU. The VPU \textit{is} the CPU.\\
+ \textit{There is No Separate VPU/GPU Pipeline or Processor}\\
+ \vspace{9pt}
+ \item written in nmigen (a python-based HDL). Not VHDL\\
+ not Verilog (definitely not Chisel3/Scala)\\
+ This is an extremely important strategic decision.\\
+ \vspace{9pt}
+ \item Simple-V Vector Extension. See `SIMD Considered harmful'.\\
+ https://tinyurl.com/simd-considered-harmful\\
+ SV effectively a "hardware for-loop" on standard scalar ISA\\
+ (conceptually similar to Zero-Overhead Loops in DSPs)
+ \vspace{6pt}
+ \item Yes great, but what's different compared to Intel, AMD, NVIDIA,
+ ARM and IBM?
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+\frame{\frametitle{OpenPOWER Cell Processor and upwards}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item OpenPOWER ISA developed from PowerPC, with the RS6000 in the 90s.
+ \vspace{6pt}
+ \item Sony, IBM and Toshiba began the Cell Processor in 2001 \\
+ (Sony Playstation 3) - NUMA approach
+ \vspace{6pt}
+ \item Raw brute-force performance pissed all over the competition
+ at the time
+ \vspace{6pt}
+ \item VSX later evolved out of this initiative.
+ \vspace{6pt}
+ \item VSX, a SIMD extension, now showing its age. \\
+ Fixed-width, no predication, limited pixel formats (15 bit)
+ \vspace{6pt}
+ \item (Vulkan requires dozens of pixel formats)
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Apple M1 (ARM) vs Intel / AMD (x86)}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Very interesting article: tinyurl.com/apple-m1-review
+ \item Apple M1: uses ARM. Intel: implements x86
+ \item Apple M1: RISC multi-issue. Intel: CISC multi-issue.
+ \item Apple M1: uniform (easy) instruction decode \\
+ Intel: \textit{Cannot easily identify start of instruction}
+ \item Result: multi-issue x86 decoder is so complex, it misses
+ opportunities to keep back-end execution engines 100 percent
+ occupied
+ \item OpenPOWER happens to be RISC (easy decode), which is why POWER10
+ has 8-way multi-issue.
+ \item Libre-SOC can do the same tricks that IBM POWER10 and Apple M1
+ can. Intel (x86) literally cannot keep up.
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Hybrid Architecture: Augmented 6600}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item CDC 6600 is a design from 1965. The \textit{augmentations} are not.\\
+ Help from Mitch Alsup includes \textit{precise exceptions}, \\
+ multi-issue and more. Academic literature on 6600 utterly misleading.
+ 6600 Scoreboards completely underestimated (Seymour Cray and
+ James Thornton
+ solved problems they didn't realise existed elsewhere!)
+ \item Front-end Vector ISA, back-end "Predicated (masked) SIMD"\\
+ nmigen (python OO) strategically critical to achieving this.
+ \item Out-of-order combined with Simple-V allows scalar operations\\
+ at the developer end to be turned into SIMD at the back-end\\
+ \textit{without the developer needing to do SIMD}
+ \item IEEE754 sin / cos / atan2, Texturisation opcodes, YUV2RGB\\
+ all automatically vectorised.
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Learning from these and putting it together}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Apple M1 and IBM POWER10 show that RISC plus superscalar
+ multi-issue produces insane performance
+ \item Intel AVX 512 and CISC in general is getting out of hand (what's
+ next: 256-bit length instructions, AVX 1024?)
+ \item RISC-V RVV shows Cray-style Vectors can save power. Simple-V
+ has the same benefits with far less instructions (188 for RVV,
+ 3 to 5 new instructions for Simple-V).
+ \item CDC 6600 shows that intelligently-implemented designs can do the
+ job, with far less resources.
+ \item Libre-SOC combines the best of historical processor designs,
+ co-opting and innovating on them (pissing in the back yard of
+ every incumbent CPU and GPU company in the process).
+ \item It's a Libre project: you get to help
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Why nmigen?}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Uses python to build an AST (Abstract Syntax Tree).
+ Actually hands that over to yosys (to create ILANG file)
+ after which verilog can (if necessary) be created
+ \item Deterministic synthesiseable behaviour (Signals are declared
+ with their reset pattern: no more forgetting "if rst" block).
+ \item python OO programming techniques can be deployed. classes
+ and functions created which pass in parameters which change
+ what HDL is created (IEEE754 FP16 / 32 / 64 for example)
+ \item python-based for-loops can e.g. read CSV files then generate
+ a hierarchical nested suite of HDL Switch / Case statements
+ (this is how the Libre-soc PowerISA decoder is implemented)
+ \item extreme OO abstraction can even be used to create "dynamic
+ partitioned Signals" that have the same operator-overloaded
+ "add", "subtract", "greater-than" operators
+
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Why another Vector ISA? (or: not-exactly another)}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Simple-V is a 'register tag' system. \textit{There are no opcodes}\\
+ SV 'tags' scalar operations (scalar regfiles) as 'vectorised'
+ \item (PowerISA SIMD is around 700 opcodes, making it unlikely to be
+ able to fit a PowerISA decoder in only one clock cycle)
+ \item Effectively a 'hardware sub-counter for-loop': pauses the PC\\
+ then rolls incrementally through the operand register numbers\\
+ issuing \textit{multiple} scalar instructions into the pipelines\\
+ (hence the reason for a multi-issue OoO microarchitecture)
+ \item Current \textit{and future} PowerISA scalar opcodes inherently
+ \textit{and automatically} become 'vectorised' by SV without
+ needing an explicit new Vector opcode.
+ \item Predication and element width polymorphism are also 'tags'.
+ elwidth polymorphism allows for BF16 / FP16 / 80 / 128 to be added to
+ the ISA \textit{without modifying the ISA}
+
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Quick refresher on SIMD}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item SIMD very easy to implement (and very seductive)
+ \item Parallelism is in the ALU
+ \item Zero-to-Negligeable impact for rest of core
+ \end{itemize}
+ Where SIMD Goes Wrong:\vspace{6pt}
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item See "SIMD instructions considered harmful"
+ https://sigarch.org/simd-instructions-considered-harmful
+ \item Setup and corner-cases alone are extremely complex.\\
+ Hardware is easy, but software is hell.\\
+ strncpy VSX patch for POWER9: 250 hand-written asm lines!\\
+ (RVV / SimpleV strncpy is 14 instructions)
+ \item O($N^{6}$) ISA opcode proliferation (1000s of instructions)\\
+ opcode, elwidth, veclen, src1-src2-dest hi/lo
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+\begin{frame}[fragile]
+\frametitle{Simple-V ADD in a nutshell}
+
+\begin{semiverbatim}
+function op\_add(rd, rs1, rs2, predr) # add not VADD!
+ int i, id=0, irs1=0, irs2=0;
+ for (i = 0; i < VL; i++)
+ if (ireg[predr] & 1<<i) # predication uses intregs
+ ireg[rd+id] <= ireg[rs1+irs1] + ireg[rs2+irs2];
+ if (reg\_is\_vectorised[rd] ) \{ id += 1; \}
+ if (reg\_is\_vectorised[rs1]) \{ irs1 += 1; \}
+ if (reg\_is\_vectorised[rs2]) \{ irs2 += 1; \}
+\end{semiverbatim}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Above is oversimplified: Reg. indirection left out (for clarity).
+ \item SIMD slightly more complex (case above is elwidth = default)
+ \item Scalar-scalar and scalar-vector and vector-vector now all in one
+ \item OoO may choose to push ADDs into instr. queue (v. busy!)
+ \end{itemize}
+\end{frame}
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Additional Simple-V features}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item "fail-on-first" (POWER9 VSX strncpy segfaults on boundary!)
+ \item "Twin Predication" (covers VSPLAT, VGATHER, VSCATTER, VINDEX etc.)
+ \item SVP64: extensive "tag" (Vector context) augmentation
+ \item "Context propagation": a VLIW-like context. Allows contexts
+ to be repeatedly applied.
+ Effectively a "hardware compression algorithm" for ISAs.
+ \item Ultimate goal: cut down I-Cache usage, cuts down on power
+ \item Typical GPU has its own I-Cache and small shaders.\\
+ \textit{We are a Hybrid CPU/GPU: I-Cache is not separate!}
+ \item Needs to go through OpenPOWER Foundation `approval'
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+
+\frame{\frametitle{Summary}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Goal is to create a mass-volume low-power embedded SoC suitable
+ for use in netbooks, chromebooks, tablets, smartphones, IoT SBCs.
+ \item No way we could implement a project of this magnitude without
+ nmigen (being able to use python OO to HDL)
+ \item Collaboration with OpenPOWER Foundation and Members absolutely
+ essential. No short-cuts. Standards to be developed and ratified
+ so that everyone benefits.
+ \item Riding the wave of huge stability of OpenPOWER ecosystem
+ \item Greatly simplified open 3D and Video drivers reduces product
+ development costs for customers
+ \item It also happens to be fascinating, deeply rewarding technically
+ challenging, and funded by NLnet
+
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+
+\frame{
+ \begin{center}
+ {\Huge The end\vspace{12pt}\\
+ Thank you\vspace{12pt}\\
+ Questions?\vspace{12pt}
+ }
+ \end{center}
+
+ \begin{itemize}
+ \item Discussion: http://lists.libre-soc.org
+ \item Freenode IRC \#libre-soc
+ \item http://libre-soc.org/
+ \item http://nlnet.nl/PET
+ \item https://libre-soc.org/nlnet/\#faq
+ \end{itemize}
+}
+
+
+\end{document}
projects / libreriscv.git / commitdiff