Array processors are single instruction multiple data machines. An array processor is a processor that performs computations on large arra...
Array processors are single instruction multiple data machines. An array processor is a processor that performs computations on large arrays of data. An SIMD array processor is a computer with multiple processing units are synchronized to perform the same operation under the control of a common control unit, thus providing a single instruction stream, multiple data stream (SIMD) organization. A general block diagram of an array processor is :
It contains a set of identical processing elements (PEs), each having a local memory M. Each processor element includes an ALU, a floating-point arithmetic unit, and working registers. The master control unit controls the operations in the processor elements. The main memory is used for storage of the program. The function of the master control unit is to decode the instructions and determine how the instruction is to be executed.
Array processors are not useful for general-purpose computing environments. One of the earliest array processors was the ILLIAC IV, developed at the university of Illinois. The MPP(Massive Parallel Processing) is an SIMD machine that has 16,384 processors. It can perform a total of more than 6 billion 8-bit operations per second. It was designed for NASA by Goodyear Aerospace to perform image processing tasks.
Array processors are not useful for general-purpose computing environments. One of the earliest array processors was the ILLIAC IV, developed at the university of Illinois. The MPP(Massive Parallel Processing) is an SIMD machine that has 16,384 processors. It can perform a total of more than 6 billion 8-bit operations per second. It was designed for NASA by Goodyear Aerospace to perform image processing tasks.