Parallel inference machines at ICOT

Abstract

Japan's fifth generation computer systems (FGCS) project aims at the research and development of new computer technology for knowledge information processing system (KIPS) that will be required in 1990s. In this project, logic programming is adopted for the base for software and hardware system to be developed. As a primitive operation of logic programming is syllogistic inference, machines studied and built in the project are called inference machines. One of the project's target machines is a parallel inference machine (PIM) having about 1000 processing elements. Smaller scale PIMs are also planned as intermediate targets. In addition to PIMs, sequential inference machines (SIMs) have been developed for a software development tool. A personal type SIM is called PSI which is a logic programming workstation. For research and development of parallel software systems, especially, an operating system for PIM (PIMOS), a multi-PSI system which consists of several CPUs of PSI connected with a high-speed network, is also under development. In the intermediate stage plan of the project, parallel software research is emphasized and conducted more systematically. This paper describes research and development plans for the parallel inference machine in conjunction with the parallel software research.