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Frank Hannig

Publications and source records attributed to Frank Hannig.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2015

Automatic Optimization of Hardware Accelerators for Image Processing

In the domain of image processing, often real-time constraints are required. In particular, in safety-critical applications, such as X-ray computed tomography in medical imaging or advanced driver assistance systems in the automotive domain, timing is of utmost importance. A common approach to maintain real-time capabilities of compute-intensive applications is to offload those computations to dedicated accelerator hardware, such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Programming such architectures is a challenging task, with respect to the typical FPGA-specific design criteria: Achievable overall algorithm latency and resource usage of FPGA primitives (BRAM, FF, LUT, and DSP). High-Level Synthesis (HLS) dramatically simplifies this task by enabling the description of algorithms in well-known higher languages (C/C++) and its automatic synthesis that can be accomplished by HLS tools. However, algorithm developers still need expert knowledge about the target architecture, in order to achieve satisfying results. Therefore, in previous work, we have shown that elevating the description of image algorithms to an even higher abstraction level, by using a Domain-Specific Language (DSL), can significantly cut down the complexity for designing such algorithms for FPGAs. To give the developer even more control over the common trade-off, latency vs. resource usage, we will present an automatic optimization process where these criteria are analyzed and fed back to the DSL compiler, in order to generate code that is closer to the desired design specifications. Finally, we generate code for stereo block matching algorithms and compare it with handwritten implementations to quantify the quality of our results.

cs.PL↗
arXiv2014

Code Generation for High-Level Synthesis of Multiresolution Applications on FPGAs

Multiresolution Analysis (MRA) is a mathematical method that is based on working on a problem at different scales. One of its applications is medical imaging where processing at multiple scales, based on the concept of Gaussian and Laplacian image pyramids, is a well-known technique. It is often applied to reduce noise while preserving image detail on different levels of granularity without modifying the filter kernel. In scientific computing, multigrid methods are a popular choice, as they are asymptotically optimal solvers for elliptic Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). As such algorithms have a very high computational complexity that would overwhelm CPUs in the presence of real-time constraints, application-specific processors come into consideration for implementation. Despite of huge advancements in leveraging productivity in the respective fields, designers are still required to have detailed knowledge about coding techniques and the targeted architecture to achieve efficient solutions. Recently, the HIPAcc framework was proposed as a means for automatic code generation of image processing algorithms, based on a Domain-Specific Language (DSL). From the same code base, it is possible to generate code for efficient implementations on several accelerator technologies including different types of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) as well as reconfigurable logic (FPGAs). In this work, we demonstrate the ability of HIPAcc to generate code for the implementation of multiresolution applications on FPGAs and embedded GPUs.

cs.CV↗
arXiv2014

A Scala Prototype to Generate Multigrid Solver Implementations for Different Problems and Target Multi-Core Platforms

Many problems in computational science and engineering involve partial differential equations and thus require the numerical solution of large, sparse (non)linear systems of equations. Multigrid is known to be one of the most efficient methods for this purpose. However, the concrete multigrid algorithm and its implementation highly depend on the underlying problem and hardware. Therefore, changes in the code or many different variants are necessary to cover all relevant cases. In this article we provide a prototype implementation in Scala for a framework that allows abstract descriptions of PDEs, their discretization, and their numerical solution via multigrid algorithms. From these, one is able to generate data structures and implementations of multigrid components required to solve elliptic PDEs on structured grids. Two different test problems showcase our proposed automatic generation of multigrid solvers for both CPU and GPU target platforms.

cs.MS↗
arXiv2014

Massively Parallel Processor Architectures for Resource-aware Computing

We present a class of massively parallel processor architectures called invasive tightly coupled processor arrays (TCPAs). The presented processor class is a highly parameterizable template, which can be tailored before runtime to fulfill costumers' requirements such as performance, area cost, and energy efficiency. These programmable accelerators are well suited for domain-specific computing from the areas of signal, image, and video processing as well as other streaming processing applications. To overcome future scaling issues (e.g., power consumption, reliability, resource management, as well as application parallelization and mapping), TCPAs are inherently designed in a way to support self-adaptivity and resource awareness at hardware level. Here, we follow a recently introduced resource-aware parallel computing paradigm called invasive computing where an application can dynamically claim, execute, and release resources. Furthermore, we show how invasive computing can be used as an enabler for power management. Finally, we will introduce ideas on how to realize fault-tolerant loop execution on such massively parallel architectures through employing on-demand spatial redundancies at the processor array level.

cs.AR↗
arXiv2005

Defragmenting the Module Layout of a Partially Reconfigurable Device

Modern generations of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) allow for partial reconfiguration. In an online context, where the sequence of modules to be loaded on the FPGA is unknown beforehand, repeated insertion and deletion of modules leads to progressive fragmentation of the available space, making defragmentation an important issue. We address this problem by propose an online and an offline component for the defragmentation of the available space. We consider defragmenting the module layout on a reconfigurable device. This corresponds to solving a two-dimensional strip packing problem. Problems of this type are NP-hard in the strong sense, and previous algorithmic results are rather limited. Based on a graph-theoretic characterization of feasible packings, we develop a method that can solve two-dimensional defragmentation instances of practical size to optimality. Our approach is validated for a set of benchmark instances.

cs.AR↗