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AFACT, the only non-incremental innovations in CPU architecture these days is open source commoditization (the RISC-V approach) and taking VLIW to the extreme (
by saosebastiao 9y ago
AFACT, the only non-incremental innovations in CPU architecture these days is open source commoditization (the RISC-V approach) and taking VLIW to the extreme (the Mill Computing approach). Maybe we've hit diminishing returns, but both of those ideas still seem super promising to me.
The baffling thing is that we've got VC money coming out of our ears. They're funding unicorns with no hope of returns and funding every single uber-for-x idea under the sun. And yet it seems like both of these approaches have received almost zero funding in comparison. How is it that Mill Computing and SiFive (or any other RISC-V commercialization company), have not received billions of dolllars in venture capital yet?
- baobrien 9y agoI don't know much about SiFive, but I have heard that Mill Computing is bootstrapped and doesn't want to take any VC funding.
- nerdponx 9y agoWhat's the value proposition though?
- CalChris 9y agoSiFive is Berkeley is funding.
- wmf 9y agoVCs invest in monopolies, not commoditization.
- microcolonel 9y agoCustomers buy into commodities when they are competitive with the monopolies. VCs invest in ventures, and if those ventures are making money I don't think the they care what kind of market you're competing in.
- e12e 9y ago> AFACT, the only non-incremental innovations in CPU architecture these days is open source commoditization (the RISC-V approach) and taking VLIW to the extreme (the Mill Computing approach). I'm still fascinated by the approach of Green Arrays; 144 tiny (forth) cores that together can lift about as much as a "small" cpu, but can also idle at low power with only a few cores active... But That might be "too new"? http://www.greenarraychips.com/ http://www.greenarraychips.com/
- avocad 9y agoI also like the idea, but isn't it already tried with the transputer computer? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transputer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transputer And since programming is still mostly just chaining actions together, maybe we are just not very good at using other paradigms.
- Dylan16807 9y agoIt's the same to an extent, but we're now in a world where chips are clocked 100x higher and we've squeezed dry the paradigm of making a serial core with faster and faster transistors.
- boomlinde 9y agoAn important difference from the Transputer is that it is an entirely asynchronous design that doesn't rely on a clock. It doesn't waste power idling just to distribute and keep a clock vibrating, unless you program it to do so.
- racer-v 9y agoThe Mill is certainly novel, but I don't quite follow how "open-source commoditization" is non-incrementally innovative. What are the innovations with respect to other RISC architectures like MIPS or ARM? Or do you just mean the development model is likely to lead to more innovation?