Re: [computer-go] Computer Go hardware

["chrilly" <chrilly@xxxxxxxx>]

>
>Sure. Like I said, L&D on-a-chip.
>
>Very doable. Look at MadLab's core code. Small.
>
>An I am not saying that you should translate that to Verilog/VHDL yourself
>either.
>
>C --> HDL and Java --> HDL compilers are getting better and better.
>
This is one of the many vapourwares in the FPGA field. The translation is
only reasonable for very restricted classes of algorithms. Basically simple
DSP. One can learn Verilog in 1 month. This is not at all the problem. The
real challenge is to transform the problem. A hardware move-generator has a
complete other structure than in software. Even such seemingly simple things
like repetition detection is done completly different. This transformation
can not be done automatically.

Just sending a 32-Bit command and recieving the 32-Bit answer takes on my
cards about 4 microseconds (newer cards can send 64-Bits and have a somewhat
smaller latency). This corresponds to several 10K instructions on the
Intel-CPU.  The task of the FPGA must therefore several 100K instructions in
size. Otherwise just waiting on the PCI-Bus takes longer than computing the
problem with the CPU.
Sending larger chunks is per bit faster, but nevertheless takes some
additional time.

>If you put 10 L&D engines on one FPGA, the slowdown of the inefficient
>higher language-to-HDL conversion will be offset by the parallellism.
>
Will not work. See calculations above.

>Then the only thing needed is a Saudi Sheikh that burns it into an ASIC..
>
There is no need for ASICs. FPGAs are sufficient for doing the job. The
fabrication process for competitive small micron ASICs is already much too
expensive and also very complicated. Starts at 1 Million $ for the mask.
Simple controllers are cheaper, but a chess or Go chip is quite a complex
piece of hardware.

Saudi Sheikhs do not support these activities. They Sheiks which sponsor
e.g. the Formula 1 or chess events are from Bahrein, United Arab Emirates,
Qatar. These are all own countries/kingdoms. The UAE is a union of 7
relative independent kingdoms. The 2 most important  are Dubai and
Abu-Dhabi. Calling e.g. a UAE-Sheikh a Saudi is about the same as mixing up
the Dutch- and the English-princes (The Sheikhs are in our terminology
princes).
In contrast to the Saudis are these small countries/kingdoms relative
liberal (e.g. one gets legally alcohol) and very open-minded for the world.
They are much more open-minded than Europeans. The by far most dynamic
kingdom is Dhubai. Dhubai has only very little oil. Most of the income is
based on trade. There is a close race between Dhubai and Shanghei of being
the fastest growing city of the world.

Chrilly

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