Progress in programming
Faster, more powerful computer systems are the focus of ground-breaking computer programming research at the University of Hertfordshire.
As multi-core computer processing delivers the performance improvements needed to run demanding applications at work and home, our researchers are finding ways to fully exploit these capabilities.
Industry changing research
Dr Sven-Bodo Scholz is a key member of the team involved in designing and implementing the functional array language Single Assignment C (SaC), to help software designers make their applications run faster while keeping individual computer cores running slower, cooler and using less energy.
‘Over the last ten years, we’ve made good progress in developing a compiler framework for SaC,’ he says. ‘We’re now working more closely with industry to move the research forward and maintain this strong position.’
Dr Scholz’s research aims to combine high-level program specifications with highly efficient executions on multiprocessor systems, taking account of both theoretical and technological advances. His many projects and collaborations have contributed to ready-to-use systems in the public domain.
‘Researchers in applied fields have been receptive to our ideas. Our discussions, both with manufacturers and companies involved in applications like supply chain management, image processing and signal processing, are also bringing results.’
Benefits of SaC
Single Assignment C is geared towards cycle-intensive computations on large data structures, and is ideally suited to diverse applications such as:
- scientific computing
- financial modelling
- medical image processing
The distinctive feature of SaC is that it combines a Matlab-like level of programming productivity with a runtime performance that rivals that of industrial Fortran compilers, which means it can exploit the newest trends in computer hardware by the flick of a compiler switch thanks to the computer language’s advanced optimisation techniques and auto-parallelising capabilities.
Working towards the future
Within the next five years, Dr Scholz expects to see a massive leap in computing power, as faster performance and longer battery life required for mobile computing drive the use of multi-core processing.
He says, ‘Harnessing the full power of multi-core processor technology is undoubtedly the key to selling next-generation hardware and also to greater energy efficiency. Finding a solution to the problem is a big issue for all the major industry players but it has much broader implications.
‘Not only will it allow someone to write say a banking application without needing to understand too much about the intricacies of the latest hardware development, it will also enable more powerful and efficient systems like medical imaging equipment which, in the long run, benefits everyone.’
