Hera-JVM: a runtime system for heterogeneous multi-core architectures

Heterogeneous multi-core processors, such as the IBM Cell processor, can deliver high performance. However, these processors are notoriously difficult to program: different cores support different instruction set architectures, and the processor as a whole does not provide coherence between the different cores’ local memories. We present Hera-JVM, an implementation of the Java Virtual Machine which operates over the Cell processor, thereby making this platforms more readily accessible to mainstream developers. Hera-JVM supports the full Java language; threads from an unmodified Java application can be simultaneously executed on both the main PowerPCbased core and on the additional SPE accelerator cores. Migration of threads between these cores is transparent from the point of view of the application, requiring no modification to Java source code or bytecode. Hera-JVM supports the existing Java Memory Model, even though the underlying hardware does not provide cache coherence betw...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: OOPSLA
• Authors: Ross McIlroy, Joe Sventek
• Keywords: Cell Processor, Java, OOPSLA 2010, Security Privacy, SPE Accelerator