@Sakura please summarize this article, thanks uwu.
TLDR
The article discusses the “glue and coprocessor” architecture, where modern computation is split into a generalized “glue” component and specialized “coprocessor” components, leading to efficiency gains while preserving developer-friendliness.
Key Points
- Modern computation can be divided into “business logic” (complex but not computationally intensive) and “expensive work” (highly structured and computationally intensive)
- The “glue and coprocessor” architecture handles these two types of computation differently:
- Glue: Optimized for generality, not efficiency (e.g. EVM, Python)
- Coprocessor: Optimized for efficiency, not generality (e.g. EVM precompiles, GPU/ASIC for AI)
- This separation is increasing due to limits on CPU clock speed, negligible business logic costs, and clearer understanding of expensive operations
- Implications:
- EVM can focus on familiarity, not efficiency, with optimizations coming from precompiles
- Open and secure hardware can compensate for lower efficiency with specialized coprocessors
- Cryptography can leverage efficient coprocessors for intensive operations
In-depth Summary
The article discusses the growing trend of “glue and coprocessor” architectures in modern computing. It observes that most computations can be divided into two parts: a small amount of complex “business logic” and a large amount of highly structured “expensive work”. These two types of computation are best handled in different ways - the business logic in a generalized but less efficient architecture, and the expensive work in a specialized but highly efficient architecture.
The author provides examples of this pattern in various domains, such as the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), AI models using PyTorch, and programmable cryptography. In each case, the “glue” component (EVM, Python, RISC-V) is optimized for developer-friendliness and generality, while the “coprocessor” components (EVM precompiles, GPU/ASIC, specialized cryptographic modules) are optimized for efficiency.
The author argues that this separation is increasing for several reasons: the limits on CPU clock speed gains, the negligible cost of business logic, and the clearer understanding of the most important expensive operations. This trend has several implications, such as the EVM not needing to be efficient, the opportunity for more open and secure hardware by compensating lower efficiency with specialized coprocessors, and the benefits for cryptography in leveraging efficient coprocessors.
Overall, the author sees this as a positive development, as it allows for maximizing computing efficiency while preserving developer-friendliness, and creates opportunities to prioritize other important values like security, openness, and simplicity.
ELI5
Imagine you have a big project to do, like building a house. The “business logic” would be the overall plan and design - the complex thinking about how the house should look and function. The “expensive work” would be the actual physical labor of constructing the house, like laying bricks, installing plumbing, and so on.
In modern computing, we’re seeing a similar split. The “glue” part is like the overall plan and design - it’s the high-level code that tells the computer what to do, but it doesn’t need to be super efficient. The “coprocessor” part is like the physical labor - it’s the specialized, efficient components that actually do the heavy lifting of the computations.
This separation is becoming more common because it allows us to keep the high-level code simple and easy to work with, while still getting the efficiency we need from the specialized parts. It’s like having a team of experts handle the construction while the architect focuses on the overall design.
Writer’s Main Point
The main point of the article is that the “glue and coprocessor” architecture, where modern computation is split into a generalized “glue” component and specialized “coprocessor” components, is a positive trend that can help maximize computing efficiency while preserving developer-friendliness and enabling other important values like security and openness.