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Here comes the billion-transistor IC
R&D reports "R & D reports" surveys the recent scientific and technical literature, highlighting papers on the research, development and application of microprocessor-based systems.
Artificial intelligence Sato, S and Sugimoto, M 'Artificial intelligence' Fujitsu ScL Tech. J. Vo122 No 3 (September 1986) pp 139-181 Fujitsu's R&D activities in the fields of AI systems, expert systems, knowledge-based logic design systems, computer-aided software development, KBS and knowledge representation, machine translation systems and image understanding are reviewed. These activities include the Kabu-Wake parallel inference machine, which uses sixteen 68020based processing elements, and a PROLOG-based CMOS IC design system.
accesses can be employed to enhance overall system performance over distributed control. The paper focusses on the multiprocessorbased lock engine design, considering two dimensions: coupling architectures (tightly and loosely coupled); and commercially used fault tolerance techniques such as pairing, sparing, checkpointing etc.
Gallium arsenide McNeley, K l and Milutinovic, V M 'Emulating a complex instruction set computer with a reduced instruction set computer' IEEE Micro Vol 7 No 1 (February 1987) pp 60-72 The authors address the problem of how to build a 32-bit complexinstruction-set computer onto a single GaAs chip. Their solution is to implement a RISC processor and emulate a CISC processor on it.
IC design and text Jesshope, C and Bentley, L 'Techniques for implementing twodimensional wafer-scale processor arrays' lEE Proc. E Vol 134 No 2 (March 1987) pp 87-92
/im, T S, Martin, R L and Hughes, H L 'Nuclear radiation test of a D flip-flop IC using a single-board microcomputer' IEEECirc. Devices Ma& Vol 3 No 1 (January 1987) pp 22-30 An assembly language program running on an 8085-based SDK-85 computer board is used for functional testing of an IC under gamma irradiation.
Saluja, K K, Sng, S H and Kinoshita, K 'Built-in self-testing RAM: a practical alternative' IEEE Des. Test Comput. Vol 4 No 1 (February 1987) pp 42-51
IC fabrication technology Cole, B C
Fault tolerance Turner, D B, Burns, R D and Hecht, H 'Designing micro-based systems for fail-safe travel' IEEE Spectrum Vol 24 No 2 (February 1987) pp 58-63 In rail, air and space travel, very subtle unsafe failure mechanisms can have catastrophic consequences. The paper reviews microprocessor-based fault-tolerant architectures used to circumvent such failures, all of which incorporate redundancy in some form - - additional equipment, calculations or processing, information or control actuation. Examples of fail-safe, fail-passive and fail-operational systems are given.
Tyer, B R, Yu, P S and Donatiello, L 'Analysis of fault tolerant multiprocessor architectures for lock engine design' Comput. Syst. ScL Eng. Vol 2 No 2 (April 1987) pp 59-75 In a loosely coupled microprocessor system sharing a central database, a lock engine providing centralized concurrency control of database
280
Graphics
'Here comes the billion-transistor IC' Electronics Vol 60 No 7 (2 April 1987)
Davies, A and Jern, M 'Standard solutions' SysL Int. Vol 15
Discusses design and production problems associated with attempts to reduce logic gate dimensions below 1 ~m.
No 4 (April 1987) pp 53-55 Examines and compares the US graphics standards PHIGS, GKS, GKS3D, CG-VDI and CGM.
High-level languages Myers, W 'Ada: first users - - pleased; prospective users - - still hesitant' IEEE Computer Vol 20 No 3 (March 1987) pp 68-73 Returns to the US Department of Defense on the use of ADA show that initial applications have been in building tools for ADA or using ADA in small research projects, says Myers. No large embedded s y s t e m s - the area to which the design of ADA was especially directed - - have yet been completed, although numerous such applications are under way.
Hutcheson, L D, Haugen, P and Husain, A 'Optical interconnects replace hardwire' IEEESpectrum Vol 24 No 3 (March 1987) pp 30-35 As geometries of VLSI circuits become faster, conventional circuit capacities will become inadequate. Optical connections, which use light in place of electrical charge for signal transmission, could provide an answer to this problem, but many practical barriers remain. The paper discusses how future optical ICs might be implemented, referring to present fibre optic interboard and interchip communications links.
Image processing Ngan, K N, Kassim, A A and Singh, HS
Microprocessors and Microsystems
Artificial intelligence Sato, S and Sugimoto, M 'Artificial intelligence' Fujitsu ScL Tech. J. Vo122 No 3 (September 1986) pp 139-181 Fujitsu's R&D activities in the fields of AI systems, expert systems, knowledge-based logic design systems, computer-aided software development, KBS and knowledge representation, machine translation systems and image understanding are reviewed. These activities include the Kabu-Wake parallel inference machine, which uses sixteen 68020based processing elements, and a PROLOG-based CMOS IC design system.
accesses can be employed to enhance overall system performance over distributed control. The paper focusses on the multiprocessorbased lock engine design, considering two dimensions: coupling architectures (tightly and loosely coupled); and commercially used fault tolerance techniques such as pairing, sparing, checkpointing etc.
Gallium arsenide McNeley, K l and Milutinovic, V M 'Emulating a complex instruction set computer with a reduced instruction set computer' IEEE Micro Vol 7 No 1 (February 1987) pp 60-72 The authors address the problem of how to build a 32-bit complexinstruction-set computer onto a single GaAs chip. Their solution is to implement a RISC processor and emulate a CISC processor on it.
IC design and text Jesshope, C and Bentley, L 'Techniques for implementing twodimensional wafer-scale processor arrays' lEE Proc. E Vol 134 No 2 (March 1987) pp 87-92
/im, T S, Martin, R L and Hughes, H L 'Nuclear radiation test of a D flip-flop IC using a single-board microcomputer' IEEECirc. Devices Ma& Vol 3 No 1 (January 1987) pp 22-30 An assembly language program running on an 8085-based SDK-85 computer board is used for functional testing of an IC under gamma irradiation.
Saluja, K K, Sng, S H and Kinoshita, K 'Built-in self-testing RAM: a practical alternative' IEEE Des. Test Comput. Vol 4 No 1 (February 1987) pp 42-51
IC fabrication technology Cole, B C
Fault tolerance Turner, D B, Burns, R D and Hecht, H 'Designing micro-based systems for fail-safe travel' IEEE Spectrum Vol 24 No 2 (February 1987) pp 58-63 In rail, air and space travel, very subtle unsafe failure mechanisms can have catastrophic consequences. The paper reviews microprocessor-based fault-tolerant architectures used to circumvent such failures, all of which incorporate redundancy in some form - - additional equipment, calculations or processing, information or control actuation. Examples of fail-safe, fail-passive and fail-operational systems are given.
Tyer, B R, Yu, P S and Donatiello, L 'Analysis of fault tolerant multiprocessor architectures for lock engine design' Comput. Syst. ScL Eng. Vol 2 No 2 (April 1987) pp 59-75 In a loosely coupled microprocessor system sharing a central database, a lock engine providing centralized concurrency control of database
280
Graphics
'Here comes the billion-transistor IC' Electronics Vol 60 No 7 (2 April 1987)
Davies, A and Jern, M 'Standard solutions' SysL Int. Vol 15
Discusses design and production problems associated with attempts to reduce logic gate dimensions below 1 ~m.
No 4 (April 1987) pp 53-55 Examines and compares the US graphics standards PHIGS, GKS, GKS3D, CG-VDI and CGM.
High-level languages Myers, W 'Ada: first users - - pleased; prospective users - - still hesitant' IEEE Computer Vol 20 No 3 (March 1987) pp 68-73 Returns to the US Department of Defense on the use of ADA show that initial applications have been in building tools for ADA or using ADA in small research projects, says Myers. No large embedded s y s t e m s - the area to which the design of ADA was especially directed - - have yet been completed, although numerous such applications are under way.
Hutcheson, L D, Haugen, P and Husain, A 'Optical interconnects replace hardwire' IEEESpectrum Vol 24 No 3 (March 1987) pp 30-35 As geometries of VLSI circuits become faster, conventional circuit capacities will become inadequate. Optical connections, which use light in place of electrical charge for signal transmission, could provide an answer to this problem, but many practical barriers remain. The paper discusses how future optical ICs might be implemented, referring to present fibre optic interboard and interchip communications links.
Image processing Ngan, K N, Kassim, A A and Singh, HS
Microprocessors and Microsystems