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Training on OpenCL and Parallel Computing

February 17 - 19, 2016, The Fields Institute

Overview

Parallel computer processors have become ubiquitous. Today, everything from a mobile phone, to a desktop computer, to a supercomputer, supports parallel programming. Despite the adoption of parallelism by processor manufacturers, few software applications today can use modern processors to their full potential due to the complexity of parallel algorithm design and software development.

The Fields Institute will host a three day workshop on parallel computing led by an expert in the field that will provide trainees with a mixture of theory and hands-on experience. Trainees will learn parallel programming with OpenCL, and so will be able to apply their knowledge to CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, and other accelerators such as the Intel Xeon Phi.

Registration Instruction: 

To apply to attend the course, please complete the registration form. Non-faculty applicants will be required to include one academic or professional reference.

Sponsorship by the Fields Institute has allowed this training course to be provided free of cost; however, space is limited. Applicants will be notified about whether their application has been successful the week after the deadline.

Deadline to apply: February 5, 2016. Questions about application status may be directed to gensci@fields.utoronto.ca .

Training Objectives

  • Understand why parallel programming is important and what makes it hard
  • Understand the hardware trends that drive parallel programming
  • Learn the role of the OpenCL specification in the processor and software industry
  • Understand the theoretical limits of parallel computing
    • NC = P?
    • Universality of consensus and the importance of atomic instructions
  • Learn how to write OpenCL software for heterogeneous computing
  • Learn the mathematical foundations of the OpenCL 2.0 memory model
  • Learn how to write parallel software for CPUs, FPGAs, GPUs, and other accelerators
  • Gain practical experience through a project

 

Trainee Requirements

  • A laptop for project work and exercises
    • Must support wireless networking
    • Must have NoMachine NX Client installed

 

Trainee Prerequisites

  • Degree in computer science or equivalent experience
    • Familiarity with asymptotic notation, big-O notation, sequential programming
    • Understanding of deterministic vs. non-deterministic algorithms
    • Understanding of theory of computation including Turing Machines
    • Extensive experience with C programming
      • Advanced concepts: pointers and pointer operations, bitwise operations, memory management
    • Knowledge of data-structures
      • Linked-lists, trees, hash-tables, arrays, stacks, queues, graphs

       

  • Essential mathematics background
    • Understand the basic concept of a limit
    • Understand basic probability concepts
    • Understand sets and associated operations (union, intersect, etc.)
    • Understand set relations (partial orders, total orders, etc.)

     

  • Software engineering experience

 

About the Instructor

AJ Guillon is a Khronos member and contributed to OpenCL 2.1 and the OpenCL C++ kernel language. He has worked extensively with OpenCL since December 2008, when the first OpenCL 1 .0 specification was released. AJ is the founder of YetiWare Inc, a software company developing innovative parallel platforms built on top of OpenCL. He is available to share his experience and knowledge of the OpenCL standard through consulting and training, or public speaking events. AJ is a masters swimmer, water polo player, and enjoys rock climbing when time permits. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and earned an Honors Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, where he specialized in Computer Science.

 

Schedule & Location

The course is scheduled to take place Wednesday, February 17 - Friday, February 19, 2016 (University of Toronto reading week).

All talks to take place at the Fields Institute, 222 College St.

Registration form

Organizer

Huaxiong Huang - The Fields Institute
Scheduled as part of

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