European Processor Initiative

Last updated

European Processor Initiative
EPI logo.svg
Country European Union (mainly France [1] )
Ministry EuroHPC
LaunchedDecember 2018;6 years ago (2018-12) [2] [3]
Budget70.000.000 [4]
Website european-processor-initiative.eu

European Processor Initiative (EPI) is a European processor project to design and build a new family of European low-power processors for supercomputers, Big Data, automotive, [5] and offering high performance on traditional high-performance computing (HPC) applications and emerging applications such as on machine learning. It is led by a consortium of European companies and universities.

Contents

The project is divided in multiple phases funded under Specific Grant Agreements. The first grant agreement is implemented under the European Commission program Horizon 2020 (FPA: 800928) in the December 2018 to November 2021 time span. The second agreement will be implemented afterwards under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking which issued a call, which was answered in January 2021 by the same consortium (H2020-JTI-EuroHPC-2020-02 FPA in EPI (phase II)).

The processor that is to be developed is a system on a chip (SoC) that makes use of the RISC technology, implements microprocessor cores of ARM architecture and accelerators, and specialises in matrix calculations and deep learning for artificial intelligence. The processor is designed to be integrated in an exascale supercomputer, but also to be implemented in cars.

Objectives

The aim of the EPI project is to design and build a high-performance, low-power processor, implementing vector instructions and specific accelerators, such as accelerators for AI, with high-bandwidth memory access. The design will be based on the results obtained through an intensive use of simulation, the development of a complete software stack and the use of advanced semiconductor manufacturing technologies. During the development of the processor, a co-design methodology will be implemented to ensure that the processor is suitable for efficiently running many applications and that it is equipped with the appropriate software development tools. The objective of the EPI is to develop European know-how on the design and construction of processors for high-performance computing, allowing Europe technological sovereignty.[ citation needed ]

Members

EPI is a non-legal entity, a project organized by 30 institutions from 10 countries in Europe. The members of the consortium are: [6]

Members of the EPI consortium
OrganizationtypeIndustryCountry
Atos CompanyIT services and consultingFlag of France.svg  France
BSC Public research centerSupercomputingFlag of Spain.svg  Spain
Infineon CompanySemiconductorsFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
SemidynamicsCompanySemiconductorsFlag of Spain.svg  Spain
CEA Public research centerEnergy, defense, security, IT, healthFlag of France.svg  France
Chalmers University of Technology Private universityScientific and technological research, educationFlag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
ETH Zurich Public universityScientific and technological research, educationFlag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
Foundation for Research & Technology – Hellas Public research centerScientific and technological researchFlag of Greece.svg  Greece
GENCI State-owned companySupercomputingFlag of France.svg  France
Tecnico Lisboa Public universityScientific and technological research, educationFlag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Forschungszentrum Jülich Public research centerScientific and technological researchFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
University of Bologna Public universityScientific and technological research, educationFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb Public universityScientific and technological research, educationFlag of Croatia.svg  Croatia
Fraunhofer Public research centerApplied scienceFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
STMicroelectronics ItalyCompanySemiconductorsFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
E4 Computer EngineeringCompanyEngineeringFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
University of Pisa Public universityScientific and technological research, educationFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
Surf Public research centerScientific and technological researchFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Kalray CompanySemiconductorsFlag of France.svg  France
ExtollCompanySemiconductorsFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
CINECA Public research centerScientific and technological researchFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
BMW Group CompanyAutomobileFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
ElektrobitCompanyAutomobile, softwareFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
Prove & RunCompanySoftwareFlag of France.svg  France
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Public universityScientific and technological research, educationFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
MentaCompanySemiconductorsFlag of France.svg  France
SiPearlCompanySemiconductorsFlag of France.svg  France / Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
KernkonzeptCompanySoftwareFlag of Germany.svg  Germany
Leonardo CompanySoftwareFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
ZeroPoint TechnologiesCompanySoftwareFlag of Sweden.svg  Sweden

History

The initiative started in 2015, in the aim to produce an exascale supercomputer by 2023. The first phase of the project started in December 2018. [7] In the summer of 2019, the basis of the architecture was decided. [8] In January 2020, the first prototype was presented. [9]

Illustration of EPI's first working RISC-V chip sample in 2021. RISC-V EPAC.png
Illustration of EPI's first working RISC-V chip sample in 2021.

Organization of the project

The European Processor Initiative has five streams of operation. The first four are technical streams (Common Platform and Global Architecture, HPC General Purpose Processor, Accelerator, Automotive platform), while the last one is dedicated to the coordination and communication activities.

See also

References

  1. "The European Processor Initiative (EPI) - European Commission". eurohpc-ju.europa.eu. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  2. katarina (4 June 2019). "First steps towards a made-in-Europe high-performance microprocessor". European Processor Initiative. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  3. "The European Processor Initiative (EPI) - European Commission". eurohpc-ju.europa.eu. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  4. "The European Processor Initiative (EPI) - European Commission". eurohpc-ju.europa.eu. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  5. Mario Kovač, Dominik Reinhardt, Oliver Jesorsky, Matthias Traub, Jean-Marc Denis, Philippe Notton. "European Processor Initiative (EPI)—An Approach for a Future Automotive eHPC Semiconductor Platform". In: Langheim J. (eds) Electronic Components and Systems for Automotive Applications. Lecture Notes in Mobility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14156-1_15 pp 185-195 First online: 26 May 2019. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-14156-1_15
  6. Community Research and Development Information Service "SGA1 (Specific Grant Agreement 1) OF THE EUROPEAN PROCESSOR INITIATIVE (EPI)". CORDIS Website. Luxembourg: EU Publications Office. https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/826647 Archived 9 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine [lists partners and budget per partner]
  7. "EPI : un premier processeur HPC made in Europe en développement". Génération NT (in French). 10 June 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  8. "How the European Processor Initiative is Leveraging RISC-V for the Future of Supercomputing". Inside HPC. 22 August 2019. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021.
  9. Michael Feldman (27 January 2020). "European Processor Initiative Readies Prototype". NextPlatform.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020.

Bibliography