From: parallel@netcom.com (B. Mitchell Loebel)
Newsgroups: comp.parallel,ba.seminars
Subject: The PARALLEL Processing Connection - January 8 Meeting Notice
Date: 6 Jan 1996 00:26:22 GMT
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)

January 8th - Hardware Objects and Reconfigurable Computing

Imagine an array of custom architected compute nodes such that each 
node processes data and passes its result on to a (logical) neighbor node 
for further processing - a distributed vector processor - a data flow 
machine - perhaps a multidimensional systolic array (of nodes).   
Suppose the customization of the nodes could be crafted on the fly - 
maybe during a context switch - by reconfiguration software.  Perhaps a 
self-adaptive Neural Network system might be so implemented.  The 
high performance of ASIC's at much lower development costs and, of 
course, hardware is intrinsically parallel.  Now embed this in the 
framework of a Distributed Shared Memory machine architecture 
enabled by a technology such as SCI.  It can be done and it is being 
done!

Steve Casselman, President, Virtual Computer Corp. and John Schewel 
will present 1) Hardware Objects - Design, Implementation, and 
performance benchmarks for use in application programs, and 2) 
Reconfigurable Computer Systems - the Co-Processor approach to 
implementing reconfigurable hardware in existing systems and true 
'compute-thru' networks.  VCC recently built an entire computer using 
Xilinx run-time reconfigurable FPGA's.

The main meeting starts promptly at 7:30PM at Sun Microsystems at 
901 San Antonio Road in Palo Alto. This is just off the southbound San 
Antonio exit of 101.  Northbound travelers also exit at San Antonio and 
take the overpass to the other side of 101.  A discussion of member 
projects currently underway and other issues of interest to entrepreneurs 
follows immediately thereafter at 9PM.

Please be prompt; as usual, we expect a large attendance; don't be left 
out or left standing. There is a $10 fee for non-members and members 
will be admitted free.  Yearly membership fee is $50.
-- 
B. Mitchell Loebel                                      parallel@netcom.com 
Director - Strategic Alliances and Partnering                  408 732-9869 
PARALLEL Processing Connection