Computer Engineering and Applications ›› 2023, Vol. 59 ›› Issue (1): 15-25.DOI: 10.3778/j.issn.1002-8331.2204-0187

• Research Hotspots and Reviews • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Survey on Heterogeneous Parallel Computing Platform for Edge Intelligent Computing

WAN Duo, HU Moufa, XIAO Shanzhu, ZHANG Yan   

  1. National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Automatic Target Recognition, College of Electronic Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China
  • Online:2023-01-01 Published:2023-01-01

面向边缘智能计算的异构并行计算平台综述

万朵,胡谋法,肖山竹,张焱   

  1. 国防科技大学 电子科学学院 自动目标识别重点实验室,长沙 410073

Abstract: Edge intelligent computing necessitates a high demand for hardware resources, which traditional computing platforms are hard to meet. As a result, heterogeneous parallel computing platforms have emerged as one of the most important means of implementing edge intelligent algorithms. This paper investigates heterogeneous parallel computing platforms with a focus on deep learning and edge computing. On the one hand, the advantages and disadvantages of the traditional computing platforms in edge intelligent computing are elaborated, and the limitations of traditional computing platforms in edge application scenarios, such as the prominent contradiction between computing power and power consumption, are pointed out. And the development of technology is combed based on the instruction model, communication mechanism, and storage system, respectively. On the other hand, the typical products in recent years of heterogeneous platforms are compared in terms of computational power, power consumption, and other factors. Then the selection suggestions for different conditions and constraints are given. It is advised to select the heterogeneous platform of the CPU+X combination. For applications with strict power consumption requirements, it is recommended to choose the heterogeneous platform of the CPU+FPGA combination. For applications with fast iteration and updates, it is recommended to choose the heterogeneous platform of the CPU+GPU combination. The ASIC computing platform is suitable for applications with mature algorithms and high requirements for real-time performance and power consumption. Finally, the challenges of instruction model unification, communication mechanism lightweight, storage system flexibility, and development environment completion are discussed, with the expectation of bringing some inspiration for researchers in this field.

Key words: heterogeneous parallel platform, edge computing, intelligent computing, deep learning, embedded device, hardware acceleration

摘要: 边缘智能计算对硬件资源的需求复杂多元,传统计算平台难以为继,异构并行计算平台成为边缘智能算法落地的关键途径之一。以深度学习算法和边缘计算为牵引,对异构并行计算平台展开研究。一方面,阐述了传统计算平台适配实现边缘智能计算的优缺点,指出边缘端应用场景中传统计算平台算力与功耗矛盾突出等局限性,并以指令模型、通讯机制和存储体系三个关键技术为线索梳理技术发展脉络。另一方面,从运算速度、功耗等角度重点对比分析了近年来典型异构平台较新的代表性产品,然后针对不同应用场景和约束条件给出了异构平台的选择建议:优先选择CPU+X组合的异构平台。功耗要求严格约束下的应用建议优先选择CPU+FPGA组合;功能迭代更新快的场景建议优先选择CPU+GPU组合;算法成熟且对实时性和功耗均具有高要求的应用优先选择ASIC计算平台。提出了异构并行计算平台在指令模型统一、通讯机制轻量化、存储体系灵活性以及开发生态完备化四个方面的问题与挑战,期望能为该领域研究人员带来一定的启发。

关键词: 异构并行架构, 边缘计算, 智能计算, 深度学习, 嵌入式设备, 硬件加速