CS 68191 Masters Seminar / CS 89191 Doctoral Seminar
Spring 2007



Doctoral Student Presentation

Using Divide-and-Conquer Strategies For Building Efficient Sorting Networks

Sherenaz W. Al-Haj Baddar



Building effective parallel processor systems requires implementing fast but rather economical inter-processor communication media. Several interconnection networks schemes have been developed for this purpose, including multistage interconnection networks. Sorting networks are cost-effective multistage interconnection networks with sorting capabilities. The most efficient sorting networks known so far deploy N(log2N)2) switching elements to sort N items, and hence, are not optimal. This presentation aims at introducing sorting networks as multistage interconnection networks for parallel processors. It also highlights some divide-and-conquer strategies that have been used to help build better sorting networks. Finally, the presentation describes a different divide-and-conquer strategy for building efficient sorting networks.