Kernel Recipes 2023 - Hardware and its Concurrency Habits

This talk will present a high-level overview of the hardware structure of modern computer systems, and then will use this structure to show how the laws of physics put limitations on the design and implementation of concurrent software. Venue permitting, it will include a stark visual exposition of these limitations. Finally, this talk will compare how well various synchronization use cases are aligned with modern hardware structure and the laws of physics. Audience members will gain a firmer intuition on the costs and benefits of different synchronization mechanisms.
Paul E McKenney