The SNIA Persistent Memory and NVDIMM Special Interest Group announced a programming challenge for NVDIMM-based systems in Q4 of 2019. Participants get free online access to persistent memory systems based at the SNIA Technology Center using NVDIMM-Ns provided by SIG members AgigA Tech, Intel, SMART Modular, and Supermicro. The goal of the challenge is to spark interest by developers in this new technology so they can understand more clearly how persistent memory applications can be developed and applied in 2020 environments and beyond.
Response to the NVDIMM Programming Challenge has been very positive. Entrants to date have backgrounds from no experience programming persistent memory to those who develop persistent memory applications as part of their day jobs.
At the January 2020 Persistent Memory Summit, the SIG announced the first NVDIMM Programming Challenge winner: Steve Heller of Chrysalis Software Corporation.
Steve submitted a closed-source project, the Three Misses Persistent Hash Table (www.threemisses.com), a key-value store application that uses persistent memory to enable significantly faster start-up and shut-down. Its use of the DRAM speed of the NVDIMM modules enables faster look-up performance.
Steve’s project met the challenge criteria as reviewed by the judges, including the use of multiple aspects of NVDIMM/Persistent Memory capabilities and the use of persistence to enable new features and appeal across multiple aspects of a system beyond persistence. The Three Misses Persistent Hash Table also advanced the cause of Persistent Memory and applied to all types of NVDIMM/Persistent Memory systems.
Jim Fister, who directs the SNIA Hackathon Program, provided a lively summary of Steve’s winning entry during his talk Introduction to PM Hackathons at the Persistent Memory Summit. Look for the details about 9 minutes, 30 seconds into the video. You can watch all of the day’s videos on the SNIA Video Channel PM Summit playlist.
Steve also provided a live demonstration of his work during the day at the Persistent Memory Summit.
SNIA congratulates Steve and reminds you that the NVDIMM Programming Challenge is still LIVE! Additional participants and submissions are welcome through March 31, 2020, and will be featured at upcoming SNIA events. Send an email to PMhackathon@snia.org and get your credentials. Read more about challenge details, and watch this space for future winners, as well as more challenge opportunities!