High Speed Communications Networks
in Scotland
Craig Michie
Scottish Enterprise
Background – SE Perspective
z Most developed countries have
enhanced communications
UWB Research Network - background
research infrastructure
¾ To enable/promote research
excellence through collaboration
¾ Latterly role migrated to shared
resource – academia/industry
z DARK FIBRE has played a pivotal
role in enabling networks
¾ usually customer owned
z Is Scotland at a disadvantage ?
¾ Opportunity for companies and
academia to engage and
undertake market driven R&D ?
Scottish Landscape
Equipment
Network
Applications
Content
User
Processors/ICs
Infrastructure
Platform Vendors
Creators
Retailers
Physical Layer
Instant Messaging
Developers
Licencors
Terminals
RF Components
Operators
Application
Protocols
Publishers
Devices
Embedded Software
Service Provision
Middleware
Aggregators
Security
Providers/Hosting/
Portal
User Interface
Transaction
management
Billing
System Development
OSS
Authentication
Data Feed Hosting
Gateways
Roaming Platform
Localisation
Device Management
Transmission
Communications is both Market
35%
50%
and Enabling Technology
Operating Systems
Planning/Installing
Distribution
SE Objectives
z Increase R&D level within company base
z Increase collaboration between companies
z Increase collaboration between companies and universities
¾ Increase technology transfer from Universities into companies
¾ Improve market understanding/awareness of University researchers
z Develop market driven focus for research activity
What SE can do
z Facilitate interaction between academia and industry
z On a project by project basis
¾ Assist with evaluation of market potential of project idea
¾ Assist to identify and broker interaction with industrial potential
partner/collaborator
¾ Provide assistance for industrial partner to access SJ5 network –
contribution towards costs of terminal equipment etc.
z SE will NOT fund directly any research activity within Universities
Project ATLAS
z SE has supported Project Atlas
¾ Demand side awareness – broadband Scotland Campaign
¾ Telecoms Trading Exchange
¾ Physical Infrastructure within Science Parks (including Pacific Quay)
z Physical Infrastructure
¾ Fibres to each of locations within Science Park (12 per building)
¾ Each Park has MMR – circa 500 fibre pairs
• Short link distance to more than one service provider
• SMEs within science parks could be linked to SJ5 on project by project basis
Potential Opportunity Areas
z Digital Media –supporting
¾ On-line games technologies
¾ On-line broadcast – video on demand
¾ Electronic Distribution, Authentication, Billing
z E-Health
¾ Electronic patient data
¾ Integrated Centre for Clinical Trials
¾ Remote Health – patient monitoring, image processing
z Energy
¾ Reservoir imaging/processing
¾ Asset management (remote monitoring)
z Commerce
z Pooling of computational capabilities – complex problems
¾ Addresses many general applications
Reconfigurable Computing
UKLight Scotland
1 March 2006
Graham Fairlie, Project Manager, Micro & Opto Electronics Team
Reconfigurable Computing: Background
Approval granted by SEE&L Board Dec 2004
¾ £1.345m from SE, £3.7m funding overall
Rationale:
¾ Scotland has a very strong tradition and
capability in reconfigurable computing.
¾ Scotland is home to the largest High
Performance Computing group in Europe.
¾ Combination: opportunity to lead in future HPC
applications
Reconfigurable Computing: Vision
Scotland will take a leading position in the design and application of
computing solutions utilising reconfigurable FPGA technology.
We will create a vibrant community with the knowledge and talent to drive
the adoption of these solutions in applications where they deliver a
price/performance benefit to customers.
We will act as a focus for collaboration with other world-class expertise to
build critical mass in the creation and application of this knowledge.
Reconfigurable Computing: Project Partners
Reconfigurable Computing: Project Objectives
Knowledge Transfer:
¾
¾
¾
Build FPGA Supercomputer
Establish 3 Demonstrator Applications
Visiting Academic Programme
Knowledge Dissemination
¾
¾
¾
¾
Establishment of “Technology Translator” Service
6 Eng.D Projects undertaken with industry
Creation of education/training materials
Support for FPGA awareness training
Reconfigurable Computing: The Role of UoE
z Lead Partner in Supercomputer development (Knowledge Transfer):
¾
¾
¾
¾
¾
¾
Managing development programme supported by FPGA companies
Creating “Parallel Toolkit” to allow apps written in C/Fortran to be run on machine
Owners of IP created by the project – will license to vendors / apps users
Owners of 64 FPGA demo machine - Target 1 TFlop performance
Hosted at ACF on Bush Estate
Will manage (remote) access by 3rd parties.
z Contracted by SE to provide Knowledge Dissemination “Technology
Translator” role
¾ Manage public facing activities of FHPCA
¾ Help promote FPGA Computing and support adoption
¾ Help give credibility to Scottish SMEs with HPC audience
Reconfigurable Computing: “Mini System”
8 FPGA Prototype
Uses cards
contributed by
Alpha-Data and
Nallatech
All FPGA parts
contributed by
Xilinx.
Remaining
components by
EPCC
Any Questions?
Graham Fairlie,
Project Manager, Micro & Opto Electronics Team
The Alba Centre
graham.fairlie@scotent.co.uk
0141 228 2798