Dark silicon and the end of multicore scaling

Since 2005, processor designers have increased core counts to exploit Moore’s Law scaling, rather than focusing on single-core performance. The failure of Dennard scaling, to which the shift to multicore parts is partially a response, may soon limit multicore scaling just as single-core scaling has been curtailed. This paper models multicore scaling limits by combining device scaling, single-core scaling, and multicore scaling to measure the speedup potential for a set of parallel workloads for the next five technology generations. For device scaling, we use both the ITRS projections and a set of more conservative device scaling parameters. To model singlecore scaling, we combine measurements from over 150 processors to derive Pareto-optimal frontiers for area/performance and power/performance. Finally, to model multicore scaling, we build a detailed performance model of upper-bound performance and lowerbound core power. The multicore designs we study include singlethreaded CPU-lik...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2011
• Where: ISCA
• Authors: Hadi Esmaeilzadeh, Emily R. Blem, Renée St. Amant, Karthikeyan Sankaralingam, Doug Burger
• Keywords: Computer Systems Organization, Hardware, ISCA 2011, Parallel Workloads, Technology Generations