The Next Big Leap in Reconfigurable Systems


Paul Master

Chief Technology Officer, QuickSilver Technology



Background Information

Mr. Master was a pioneer of reconfigurable computing, beginning early in his career.  He continues as a pioneer of innovation, assembling the company’s technical team of top technologists to advance reconfigurable computing to a higher level, i.e. adaptive computing.  Based on a revolutionary IC architecture, adaptive computing represents a new era in computing, in which dynamic algorithms are mapped on to dynamic hardware resources, resulting in the most efficient use of silicon area and low cost.  The technical differences and advantages of adaptive computing, as compared to conventional IC technologies (ASICs, DSPs, FPGAs) is dramatic.  Key aspects of the pioneering efforts and findings for adaptive computing will be discussed, providing attendees with new technical insights.
 

Keynote Abstract


The age of adaptive computing is upon us, empowering the engineering community with the next big leap in computing; one in which dynamic algorithms are mapped directly on to dynamic hardware resources. By dynamically reallocating hardware both spatially and temporally, more processing power can be directed to specific problems as needed. Out of this powerful concept comes a new computing platform that combines the best of hardware and software into a powerful enabling technology for design and innovation.

As the desktop market moves to ever more mobile or portable environments, the demand for wireless capability dramatically increases, as do the requirements for a much wider variety of functions at high processing speeds, low power consumption, reduced silicon area, and low cost.

The driving trends for wireless are 3G and SDR, which will give consumers a better mobile device experience -- worldphone capability, connectivity to their data anywhere in the world, and advanced features, such as multimedia and digital imaging.  The PC and Internet experiences are
also driving consumer expectations for immediate access to information resources and a variety of applications in one mobile device.

To meet these design imperatives, designers of next-generation mobile and wireless devices need a new computing platform that includes a highly flexible IC, a high-level language for efficient design, specific software tools, and an OS.  The solution lies in adaptive computing, a new computing platform that empowers engineers with a complete design solution, and that outpaces the performance of conventional, fixed-function IC technologies, such as ASICs, DSPs, FPGAs.

In the keynote, Mr. Master will discuss:


Bio

Paul Master is the Chief Technology for QuickSilver Technology. Mr. Master has over 15 years of experience in managing high technology communications and computer programs incorporating reconfigurable computing, digital signal processing, protocols, and systems.  He has worked for Boeing, ARGO Systems, Acer America, and in several start-up companies focusing on multimedia and wireless communications.  While at Boeing, Mr. Master founded a new division to bring three revolutionary products to market.  These products included a smart antenna interference reduction cellular product line; a reconfigurable computing high-speed protocol analyzer product line for the intranet and Internet; and a communications network test-bed to support the network definition and algorithm development for Teledesic's Internet in the Sky. Mr. Master specializes in telecommunications, ASIC design, high-speed hardware designs and embedded multiprocessor software designs. He holds a B.A. Computer Science from UC Berkeley; and a MS Computer Science and Engineering from Santa Clara University.
 
 
 

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