Introduction to BME

class: first semester, 2017

lecturer: Prabhas Chongstitvatana,
prabhas dot c at chula dot ac dot th
office Engineering building 4, floor 18, room 13, tel 022186982

previous classes: 2016  2014   2013

Modern computer systems

I discuss three areas:

1)  fundamental of digital technologies
2)  present high performance computer systems
3)  quantum computers

Fundamentals

   microelectronics: integrated circuits
   microprocessor: the first microprocessor, Intel 4004
  simulation of a historical microprocessor 6502

Present days

  Example of modern microprocessor specification:  Intel core i3 7100
  Graphic Processing Unit  (GPU):  my chip simulator (NPU)

Clouds
  Amazon Web Service
  Microsoft Azure

High performance
  top500.org
  Google Quantum AI lab
  The report of speedup of D-wave x2 machines

Quantum computing

  Building quantum computers (my slides)

Exascale Computing
  exascale computing project 
  DOE exascale initiative
  News:  US gov’t taps The Machine to beat China to exascale supercomputing

Reference

  1. Yingchareonthawornchai, S., Aporntewan, C., and Chongstitvatana, P., "An Implementation of Compact Genetic Algorithm on a Quantum Computer," Int. Joint Conf. on Computer Science and Software Engineering (JCSSE), 30 May - 1 June 2012, pp.131-135. ( pdf )

Assignments

Choose your area from 1)  Exascale computing or 2)  Quantum computing
Write 4-5 pages report.  You can ask the following questions:
a)  What is the use of exascale computing?
b)  Why a country should build supercomputing?
c)  What quantum computers can do?
d)  Any practical use of quantum computers?
e)  Other interesting questions of your own.
With some goal in mind, you can direct your search and your writing in a determined direction.
Please submit your report (in paper) in the inbox in front of my office:  Eng. Building 4, floor 18, room 13. The deadline is 17 Nov 2017, 4pm.

You can contact me via email at    prabhas dot c at chula dot ac dot th

last update 24 Oct 2017