Instructor

Tarek Abdelzaher,
Office Hours: Mondays, 10-11am ("Tarek Abdelzaher" on Skype Business)

Lecture Times

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30 – 4:45pm (on Zoom)

Description

An expanding frontier for computer scientists lies at the intersection of the logical and physical realms. As computing elements become embedded more pervasively in our environment, a new cyber-physical fabric arises in which logical processing is deeply intertwined with the physical environment in which it occurs. The course explores the science of designing and analyzing systems that are guaranteed to perform their functions in a timely manner. A real-time AI simulation testbed is used to illustrate some of the concepts. Selected topics include:

  • - Review of basic concepts (tasks, threads, blocking, priorities, importance, resource partitioning, etc.)
  • - The Reliability Dimension: Complexity reduction, well-formed dependencies, and fail-safe operation
  • - The Time Dimension: Real-time scheduling and resource management
  • - The Energy Dimension: Power-aware algorithms and energy saving issues
  • - Real-time AI
  • - Other Challenges
Grading

The course will involve 5 homeworks, 2 programming assignments, two midterms, and a final that encourage you to analyze and evaluate concepts covered under the above topics. Grades will be assigned as follows:

  • - Homework: Homework grades will collectively account for 20% of the total grade. You must work on homework by yourself.
  • - Programming assignments: Programming assignments will collectively account for 20% of the total grade. They are done in groups of 3-4 students.
  • - Midterm 1: An open-book midterm exam will be held for 15% of the grade.
  • - Midterm 2: An open-book midterm exam will be held for 15% of the grade.
  • - Final: A final exam with be held for 20% of the grade.
  • - Class Participation: Accounts for 10%. Includes attendance and class discussion.