A preliminary architecture for a basic data-flow processor

Abstract

A processor is described which can achieve highly parallel execution of programs represented in data-flow form. The language implemented incorporates conditional and iteration mechanisms, and the processor is a step toward a practical data-flow processor for a Fortran-level data-flow language. The processor has a unique architecture which avoids the problems of processor switching and memory/processor interconnecion that usually limit the degree of realizable concurrent processing. The architecture offers an unusual solution to the problem of structuring and managing a two-level memory system.