Vector and symbolic processors

Contents Vector processor Vector instructions Vector pipelines Scalar pipeline execution Vector pipeline execution Symbolic processors Attributes Characteristics

Vector Processors A vector processor is specially designed to perform vector computations. A vector instruction involves a large array of operands. A vector processor can assume either a register -to register -architecture or a memory- to- memory architecture. The former uses shorter instructions and vector registers files.

Vector instructions A register based vector instructions appear in most register to register vector processors like Cray supercomputers. The reduction is an operation on one or two vector operands, and the result is a scalar such as the dot product between two vectors. These vector operation are performed by dedicated pipeline units.

Vector pipelines Vector pipelines can be attached to any scalar or super scalar processor. Application in science and engineering can make good use of vector processing capabilities.

Scalar pipeline execution 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 time in base cycles successive instructions

Vector pipeline execution 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Time in base cycles Successive instructions

Symbolic processors Symbolic processor has been applied in many areas, knowledge engineering, text retrieval and machine intelligence. In these applications, primitive operation such as- algorithmic behavior, memory, input output and communication.

Attributes Knowledge representation. Common operations. Memory requirements. Communications patterns. Properties of algorithms. Input output requirements. Architecture features.

Characteristics Relational database, frames, objects, production systems. Search, sort, patterns matching, filtering. Large memory with intensive access pattern.

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