INTEGRATED CIRCUITS AS A SERVICE

• US 20130145431A1
• Filed: 12/02/2011
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Kruglick, Ezekiel
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/76 in application-specific integrated circuits [ASIC] or field-programmable devices, e.g. field-programmable gate arrays [FPGA] or programmable logic devices [PLD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for provisioning and managing access to FPGAs as a service. In some examples, a system for allowing provisioning management for shared FPGA use and access control to enable a user'"'"'s processes to access their custom programmed FPGA may accept user packages for compilation to an FPGA in communication with datacenter servers. The user packages may be imaged to the FPGA with an added management payload, and a driver and user key may be employed to allow selective access to the FPGA as a service for datacenter virtual machines. Together these elements allow a datacenter to provision rentable integrated circuits as a service (ICaaS). Additional services such as billing tracking, provision management, and access control may be provided to users allowing them to realize lower cost while the datacenter realizes greater return.

Claims

1. A method for providing a programmable integrated circuit (IC) as a service, the method comprising:

receiving a programmable integrated circuit design package at a data center;

adding a management payload to the IC design package;

creating a user key associated with the IC design package, wherein the user key matches the management payload;

providing selective access to the programmable IC through one or more virtual machines employing the user key; and

providing one of;

a billing tracking service and a provisioning management service associated with execution of the received design package at the FPGA programmable IC.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the programmable IC is a Field Programmable Gate Array FPGA.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

adding the management payload prior to compilation of the design package, wherein the compilation adds circuits for a final design.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

connecting server functions from the data center to the FPGA through a messaging interface.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the messaging interface employs one of a network and a Peripheral Computer Interconnect (PCI) interface.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

enabling launching of one or more virtual machines with one or more paravirtualized drivers using a copy of the user key, wherein the paravirtualized drivers provide ownership verified access to the FPGA.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the design package is imaged to the FPGA with the added management payload.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the management payload manages a messaging interface for the FPGA to ensure user identity and tracks usage of the FPGA based on a predefined billing metric.

7-8. -8. (canceled)

11-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A data center providing a programmable integrated circuit (IC) as a service, comprising:

a management server configured to;

receive a programmable integrated circuit design package at a data center;

add a management payload to the IC design package;

create a user key associated with the IC design package, wherein the user key matches the management payload;

provide selective access to the programmable IC through one or more virtual machines employing the user key; and

provide one of;

a billing tracking service and a provisioning management service associated with execution of the received design package at the programmable IC.

18. The data center according to claim 17, wherein the programmable IC is a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

24. The data center according to claim 18, wherein the management server is further configured to:

enable direct network access to the FPGA for one of;

a trusted user, a user with a certified payload, and a user within a hardware based virtual private data center.

25. The data center according to claim 18, wherein the design package is imaged to the FPGA with the added management payload.

26. The data center according to claim 25, wherein the management payload manages a messaging interface for the FPGA to ensure user identity and tracks usage of the FPGA based on a predefined billing metric.

27. The data center according to claim 26, wherein the billing metric is based on one or more of deployed time and/or consumed power.

28. The data center according to claim 18, wherein the one or more virtual machines communicate with the FPGA using the user key and employ a custom hardware accelerator uploaded by a user associated with the IC design package.

29. The data center according to claim 18, wherein a manager processing the design package consumes a fixed number of gates, which are removed from a capacity available to the user.

19-23. -23. (canceled)

33. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon for providing Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) as a service, the instructions comprising:

receiving a programmable integrated circuit design package at a data center;

adding a management payload to the FPGA design package;

creating a user key associated with the FPGA design package, wherein the user key matches the management payload;

providing selective access to the FPGA through one or more virtual machines employing the user key; and

providing one of;

a billing tracking service and a provisioning management service associated with execution of the received design package at the FPGA.

46. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 33, wherein the management payload is a clock that records time following starting compilation of an overall payload and reports on elapsed time in response to an administrative message when the user terminates FPGA usage.

47. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 33, wherein the management payload resides at I/O ports and ensures formats are followed and/or access control is performed using the user key.

48. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 33, wherein the management payload ensures that a port is watched and connection activities are tallied for billing.

34-45. -45. (canceled)