Resumen
The article focuses on development of a new computing system, continuum computer architecture. The computer system is being explored by computer scientists at the California Institute of Technology's Center for Advanced Computing research in Pasadena, California. It is an ultra-fine-grain uniform structure that approximates a continuous three dimensional execution medium enabled through next-generation submicron logic devices. Several concurrent trends in semiconductor and other technologies force a rethinking of the physical structure and logical operation of parallel computer systems. The implications of these trends in combination with the limitations imposed by speed-of- light and design complexity will catalyze a renaissance in novel hardware design emphasizing locality of action, massive parallelism, replication of structure, nearest-neighbor communications, and decentralized control. The distinguishing feature of this class of computers from conventional computers is the way in which it handles the data and controls execution.