computer science

Kilocore

Kilocore is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kilocore rather than just read about it. In short: Kilocore was a high-performance, low-power multi-core microprocessor that has 1,025 cores designed by Rapport Inc. and IBM and announced in 2006. Rapport was a California fabless semiconductor company founded in 2001 and dissolved in 2009.

Key takeaways

Kilocore belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kilocore to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kilocore from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kilocore was a high-performance, low-power multi-core microprocessor that has 1,025 cores designed by Rapport Inc. and IBM and announced in 2006. Rapport was a California fabless semiconductor company founded in 2001 and dissolved in 2009. Kilocore contained a single PowerPC processing core, and 1,024 eight-bit Processing Elements running at 125 MHz each, which could be dynamically reconfigured, connected by a shared interconnect. It allows high performance parallel processing. Rapport's first product to market was the KC256, with 256 8-bit processing elements. The KC256 started shipping in 2006. The elements were grouped in 16 "stripes" of 16 processing elements each, with each stripe able to be dedicated to a particular task. The "thousand core" products were planned to be the KC1024 and KC1025, due in 2008. Both would have 1024 8-bit processing elements, in a 32 x 32-stripe configuration. The KC1025 has the PowerPC CPU, while the KC1024 has processing elements only. IBM said that the Kilocore1025 will enable "streaming live- and high-definition video on a low-power, mobile device at 5 to 10 times the speed of existing processors." Despite raising an additional $18.5 million in 2008, the company dissolved before Kilocore came to market.

References

External links ZDNet

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kilocore

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kilocore claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kilocore before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kilocore ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kilocore

In research: Kilocore appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kilocore in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kilocore is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer hardware stubs, Manycore processors, PowerPC microprocessors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kilocore outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kilocore in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kilocore means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kilocore out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kilocore in simple terms?

Why does Kilocore matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kilocore?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kilocore.