The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Sep. 20, 1988

Filed:

Feb. 24, 1986
Applicant:
Inventors:

W Daniel Hillis, Cambridge, MA (US);

Clifford Lasser, Boston, MA (US);

Brewster Kahle, Somerville, MA (US);

Karl Sims, Somerville, MA (US);

Assignee:

Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge, MA (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G06F / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
364900 ;
Abstract

A method is described for simulating additional processors in a SIMD computer by dividing the memory associated with each processor into a plurality of sub-memories and then operating on each sub-memory in succession as if it were associated with a separate processor. Thus, a first instruction or set of instructions is applied to all the processors of the array to cause at least some processors to process data stored at a first location or locations in the first sub-memory. Thereafter, the same first instruction or set of instructions is applied to all the processors of the array to cause at least some processors to process data stored at the same first location in a second sub-memory. And so forth for each of the sub-memories. By operating a SIMD computer in this fashion, it is possible in effect to vary the number of processors in the array so as to provide the number of processors required for a problem.


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