On Extending Amdahl's law to Learn Computer Performance
This enables rapid generation of analytical models for industrial development and optimization, but it is incremental as it builds on an existing law.
The paper tackles the problem of learning parallel computer performance for multicore processors by extending Amdahl's law to accommodate multiple configurable resources and transforming it into a multivariable regression problem, achieving over 95% average cross-validated accuracy in models tested on benchmarks and hardware platforms.
The problem of learning parallel computer performance is investigated in the context of multicore processors. Given a fixed workload, the effect of varying system configuration on performance is sought. Conventionally, the performance speedup due to a single resource enhancement is formulated using Amdahl's law. However, in case of multiple configurable resources the conventional formulation results in several disconnected speedup equations that cannot be combined together to determine the overall speedup. To solve this problem, we propose to (1) extend Amdahl's law to accommodate multiple configurable resources into the overall speedup equation, and (2) transform the speedup equation into a multivariable regression problem suitable for machine learning. Using experimental data from fifty-eight tests spanning two benchmarks (SPECCPU 2017 and PCMark 10) and four hardware platforms (Intel Xeon 8180M, AMD EPYC 7702P, Intel CoffeeLake 8700K, and AMD Ryzen 3900X), analytical models are developed and cross-validated. Findings indicate that in most cases, the models result in an average cross-validated accuracy higher than 95%, thereby validating the proposed extension of Amdahl's law. The proposed methodology enables rapid generation of multivariable analytical models to support future industrial development, optimization, and simulation needs.