Project description
Driving specialisation of computing devices with software-defined number formats
The Internet of things (IoT) presents a proliferation of computing devices with a wide variety of functionalities: data sensing, data analytics and inference of machine-learned models. These devices implement agreed-upon rules to encode numbers in hardware. However, the dramatic shift of applications fuelled by IoT poses rapidly changing requirements on number formats. The EU-funded SoftNum project will explore how to make number formats software-defined, enabling a multitude of novel applications. This will make it possible to design a data-sensing device that pre-processes data streams at the minimal precision possible to minimise energy consumption, embed a watermark to prove ownership and origin of the data, and achieve the required application-level accuracy.
Objective
All computing devices implement computer arithmetic as a core functionality. Nearly all computing devices moreover implement the same, standardized number formats in order to aid software portability. However, with Moore’s Law ending, we question whether it remains the best approach to achieve high performance and low energy consumption by applying the same standardized number formats for all applications. Among others, the Internet-of-Things (IoT) presents a proliferation of compute devices with a wide variety of functionality, among others in data sensing, data analytics, and inference of machine-learned models. Additionally, security mechanisms, which are essential for internet-connected devices, are compute-intensive workloads. We posit that each of these workloads will see improved performance and energy-efficiency from distinct, specialized computer arithmetic.
The SoftNum Marie Curie Fellowship will explore how to make number formats, generally considered to be hard-wired functionality, software-defined. Software-defined number formats have the advantage of high performance, low energy consumption, and ensure sufficient while not excessive precision. For instance, with SoftNum it will be possible to design a data sensing device that pre-processes data streams at the minimal precision possible to minimize energy consumption, embeds a watermark to prove ownership and origin of the data, all while achieving the required application-level accuracy. This project, if successful, will have a major impact on how we perceive the design of computing devices. It will create an unprecedented degree of virtualization of the core computing hardware, with an estimated system-level speedup of 50% and reduction of energy consumption by 70%. This novel proposition promises to accelerate the Fellow’s career, who brings prior expertise in computer arithmetic to the project, under the mentorship of an expert in transprecise computing and runtime system software.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences internet internet of things
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics arithmetics
- social sciences law
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
BT7 1NN BELFAST
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.