CS 498 ME

Architectures for Mobile and Edge Computing

Course at a Glance

Saugata Ghose

Tue/Thu 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM Central

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CS 498 ME is a new course at the University of Illinois that looks at key enabling technologies and contemporary research problems in mobile and edge computing hardware. In the course, we will study the design of several key hardware components in modern mobile and edge devices, such as GPUs, memory and storage, on-chip networks, and ML accelerators, and will examine how to optimize conventional CPU components to be ultra-energy-efficient. Students will perform a series of lab assignments, culminating with an end-of-semester final project.

Sections: There are two sections for CS 498 ME. ME1 is a 3-credit-hour section geared towards undergrads. ME2 is a 4-credit-hour section geared towards Master's and Ph.D. students. Students in both sections must take quizzes, read assigned papers, and do all course projects. Students enrolled in Section ME2 must submit paper reviews for assigned papers, and will be asked to lead paper discussions in class.

Prerequisite: CS 433, ECE 411, or equivalent


Course Description

Mobile computing platforms (e.g., smartphones, tablets, wearables, processors in autonomous vehicles) have enabled a revolutionary change in society over the last two decades. Much of this success is a result of a fundamental shift in architectural design, with new architectures focusing on lowering energy consumption, improving the handling of data, and specializing for target platforms. These architectures are continuing to transform, as the relationship between data centers, networks, and mobile platforms changes, and as applications continue to deal with increasing amounts of data. This course will cover key enabling technologies and current research challenges for mobile computer architectures. Topics include smartphone architectures and hardware components, memory and storage systems for mobile platforms, system-on-chip integration, emerging applications, and edge computing platforms. The course will be taught using a combination of lectures and paper readings, and students will be expected to present research papers and complete a series of team projects (including a substantial final project).