Tamarin

Goals

Create a technology base for a spectrum of VLSI Lisp machines

Build an Initial Lisp machine product

Develop a VLSI capability in AISBU

Characteristics

Custom VLSI Lisp Processor

Designed around Lisp Language

Low-Cost, Small Size System

RISC type Hardware Architecture

Support InterLisp and CommonLisp


Methodology

Evolvable

Basis for Future Machines

Designed specifically for Lisp

Simplify at every opportunity

Finesse instead of solve technological issues

Use System Perspective

Design it to make lisp software simpler, get around Lisp’s Bottlenecks

Use Lisp’s low-level malleable



Performance Mismatches

Hardware Stack

16 bit vs. full pointer words

Tagged words

IFU mismatches

Close memory coupling

Virtual Memory Map

Special Requirements of Lisp

Complex funtion call

Typed Data

Dynamic Scoping

CommonLisp

Multiple Values

Closures

Function Arguments

Lexical Scoping



Packaging

Tamarin has several implementations

IBM PC coprocessor card

One board workstation



One board workstation

Three custom chips

Memory Interface

Lisp Processor

I/O Controller

SCSI Interface for disk

Display

Ethernet