Cool Computer
The Cool Computer is an on-going project to investigate an alternative and scalable design of parallel computer systems. The work is led by Dr. Chris Bailey in the Department from ideas put forward by Jim Austin.
The concept is to allow anyone to build a computer with the functionality they require, from a simple desk to machine to the most powerful supercomputer. The system also allows reuse of components in computers to reduce waste.
Current computers are limited in the ability of users to alter the systems. Everyday computers based on laptops are supplied with a given specification if requirements change a complete machine is needed. In the case of desktop machines there is some possibility for changing the system, but expert knowledge is needed to do this. This is even more the case for a supercomputer made up of 10’s to thousands of CPUs.
The Cool computer uses the idea of a commonly shaped building block (literally a block!) that has a variety of possible functions to be put together by anyone to achieve a given capability.
A user needing a machine with 4 cores, 64Gb memory per core, two 1Tb disks, a gpu and 20 USB ports can build such a machine by buying tiles containing these various features.The tiles are simply put together into a machine by ‘clipping’ the tiles together. Each tile has interconnects on each face, and magnets to hold the plates together.
In the example in the exhibition the plates have FPGA and ARM cortex processors, they are also water cooled (thus the tank). This need not be the case. The other example shows tiles with wheels allowing the user to build a computer based robot.