Today's digital world is powered by specialized chips dedicated to specific purposes. AI chips for AI, GPUs for graphics processing, and mining-specific ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) for cryptocurrency... It has been common sense to prepare dedicated hardware to achieve the best performance for each task.
But what if a single chip could change its form like a chameleon, becoming both an AI accelerator and a cryptocurrency mining machine?
Making such a dream concept a reality is the CGLA (Coarse-Grained Linear Array), which we introduced in a previous article. This time, we will focus on CGLA's most powerful weapon, "Reconfigurability," and explore its true value.
What is "Reconfigurability"? The "Transformation Ability" of the Digital World
To understand "reconfigurability," imagine an orchestra.- Dedicated Chip (ASIC): This is a "string quartet" assembled solely to perform one specific piece of music perfectly. They are the best in the world at that one piece, but they cannot play any other music at all.
- CPU: This is a small "jazz band" that can handle any tune reasonably well. It's versatile, but lacks the power to perform a grand symphony.
- CGLA: This is a "full orchestra" of musicians who can play any instrument according to the conductor's (program's) instructions. It can reconfigure the optimal instrument setup (circuit configuration) and sheet music (dataflow) to match the concert's program (computation task).
CGLA IN ACTION ①: As an AI Accelerator
The computations in AI, especially in Large Language Models (LLMs), are not just simple repetitions of addition and multiplication. They are complex combinations of various calculations like "matrix multiplication" and "convolutional operations." CGLA (like IMAX) optimizes its internal data paths to match these AI computations.- When a matrix multiplication begins, just as an orchestra would create a magnificent harmony centered on strings and wind instruments, the CGLA forms an optimal pipeline for numerous processing units to collaborate on the matrix calculation.
- By designing a seamless flow of data, it executes AI processes with extremely high power efficiency, without any pipeline stalls.
CGLA IN ACTION ②: As a Crypto Mining Machine
The computation required for cryptocurrency mining is very simple: repeat a hash calculation like "SHA-256" over and over again, an incredible number of times. For this reason, mining-specific ASICs pack as many circuits as possible onto a chip dedicated solely to this calculation. At first glance, this seems like a completely different universe from AI computation. However, this is where the "reconfigurability" of CGLA truly shines. This architecture can completely transform its internal structure to suit the task of mining.- It dismantles the complex pipelines used for AI calculations and reconfigures its numerous processing units to act as independent, parallel hash calculators.
- This is like the orchestra transforming into a percussion ensemble, where every musician beats the same drum relentlessly.
- IMAX has a special operating mode called "REFILL mode," which is a mechanism designed to optimize the data supply for simple, high-throughput calculations just like mining.
The True Advantage of CGLA: Adaptability to the Future
The greatest benefit of this "reconfigurability" is adaptability to the future.- Future-Proof: Both AI algorithms and cryptocurrency algorithms evolve daily. When an algorithm changes, a dedicated ASIC becomes a worthless paperweight. But with CGLA, you can simply recompile the program to be reborn as hardware optimized for the new algorithm.
- Economic Efficiency: A single chip design can target two completely different markets: AI and cryptocurrency. A data center could use CGLA for corporate AI development during the day, and then reallocate those resources for mining or scientific computing at night.
