MSc ACS: Multi-Core Computing

Microprocessor manufacturers have recently switched from serial execution architectures clocked at ever-increasing clock rates to ever-more parallel multi-core architectures clocked at a constant (or even decreasing) clock rate. The consequences will be profound because parallel computational activities will need to be handled as the norm, rather than the exception; programmers of the future will need skills that are currently possessed by very few, due to the inherent complexities of parallel systems. This pathway is centred round a core theme, Parallel Computing in the Multi-core Era, which introduces students to the aforementioned complexities, and provides techniques and tools that can alleviate the ensuing problems of correctness, reliability, performance and system management. Subsidiary themes allow students to investigate broader areas in which they might apply their newly learned skills.