California State University San Bernardino
Department of Computer Science
Masters Thesis Defense

Date 14th May, 2007
Time 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Location JB 391
Title Multi-Core Processors and the Future of Software Concurrency Candidate
By Ryan Christopher Youngman

Advisor Dr. Ernesto Gomez

Committee Members Dr. Keith Schubert Dr. Yasha Karant

Abstract

Recent changes in processor architectures are showing a movement towards 
utilizing multi-core technology in their designs. The physical limitations
of current processors, advances in fabrication technology, and increasing 
performance demands have provided the impetus for multi-core technology to
become a reality. The apparent processing potential, more efficient 
resource usage and market interest hint that this technology will become 
more of a standard in modern processor architecture designs. It seems that
from now on, computers will no longer be Von Neumann machines, but rather,
they will be parallel machines working together.

Multi-core architecture provides benefits such as less power consumption, 
scalability, and improved application performance enabled by thread-level 
parallelism. However, with the introduction of this technology, there are 
implications that we need to understand and consider. What exactly is a 
"core" and how does a multi-core CPU differ from the traditional 
single-core CPU? More importantly, how do we take advantage of this 
hardware when developing software applications? Join us on Friday, May 11 
for a Masters Thesis Presentation where we will answer some of these 
important questions.