Unconventional Processing of Signals for Intelligent Data Exploitation (UPSIDE) | Apply Online

FAQs: DARPA UPSIDE (BAA 12-53) - Unconventional Processing of Signals for Intelligent Data Exploitation

1) What is the UPSIDE solicitation?

UPSIDE is a DARPA Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) research solicitation titled "Unconventional Processing of Signals for Intelligent Data Exploitation." It was released as DARPA Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) 12-53 and is focused on advancing new ways to perform data-intensive analytics beyond conventional digital computing.

2) What problem is UPSIDE trying to solve?

The solicitation targets the high energy cost of traditional computing for data-heavy workloads, especially the cost of moving large volumes of raw data between sensing, memory, and processing units. UPSIDE emphasizes approaches that reduce this data movement and improve power efficiency for compute-intensive analysis.

3) What is meant by "unconventional processing" in this opportunity?

In the UPSIDE description, unconventional processing refers to computing methods that are tightly coupled to device physics and that may use non-traditional data representations. Rather than relying only on instruction-based, clocked digital logic in standard architectures, the program points toward approaches that exploit physical device behavior (for example, analog behaviors, collective effects, or other non-von-Neumann characteristics) to perform useful computation more directly.

4) What types of performance improvements is UPSIDE aiming for?

The central promise highlighted is orders-of-magnitude gains in energy efficiency for demanding analytics workloads. The emphasis is on dramatic power-efficiency improvements rather than incremental optimization of existing processors.

5) What kinds of workloads or application areas are emphasized?

The stated target application area is image sensor data analysis. This is described as a representative domain with high raw data volumes and real-time processing needs that are often constrained by size, weight, power, and thermal limits.

6) Does UPSIDE focus on moving computation closer to the data source?

Yes. The opportunity description points toward carrying out inference or feature extraction closer to where the data is produced (for example, near sensing) to avoid energy-hungry transfers of raw data between sensors, memory, and processors.

7) What DARPA office is running the UPSIDE solicitation?

The solicitation is associated with DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office (MTO).

8) What is the solicitation number for UPSIDE?

The solicitation is identified as DARPA BAA 12-53.

9) What is the CFDA number and program category listed for this opportunity?

The summary lists CFDA number 12.910 (Research and Technology Development) and describes the opportunity as discretionary research and development funding under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category.

10) What types of award instruments might DARPA use for UPSIDE?

The summary indicates DARPA may use multiple potential award instruments, including cooperative agreements, grants, and other procurement contracts. This suggests DARPA has flexibility to select an instrument based on the proposed work and the anticipated level of government involvement.

11) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The summary record states that there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

12) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the opportunity is open to any type of applicant organization, subject to any clarifications that may appear in the full announcement text.

13) When was the UPSIDE opportunity posted and when did it close?

The timeline information provided shows it was posted and created on August 14, 2012. The original and current closing date is listed as October 12, 2012.

14) Is the UPSIDE opportunity still active?

No. The record shows an archive date of April 1, 2013, and the closing date is October 12, 2012.

15) Why do the award ceiling and floor show as 0?

The award ceiling and floor are both shown as 0 in the summary record, which typically indicates that specific award size ranges were not populated in the public synopsis. The controlling details would be expected in the full Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) and any associated amendments or attachments.

16) Where were applicants directed to find the full solicitation materials?

Interested parties were directed to the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) solicitations page for the full announcement materials.

17) Who was the listed point of contact for access issues?

The point of contact listed for access issues was Dan Hammerstrom, identified as a DARPA Program Manager and MTO BAA Coordinator.

18) Is UPSIDE aimed at improving traditional processors or pursuing more radical changes?

The description frames UPSIDE as a push for foundational R&D that rethinks how signal and sensor data are processed. The intended payoff is described as not incremental optimization of existing processors, but more radical power-efficiency improvements by embedding computation into the physics and structure of new hardware approaches.

19) What is the main architectural issue UPSIDE highlights in conventional systems?

UPSIDE highlights that standard architectures often separate sensing, memory, and computation, with data movement between them consuming significant energy. The program focus is aligned with reducing that separation and the associated data-movement costs.

20) What is the overall purpose of UPSIDE in one sentence?

UPSIDE is a DARPA effort to seed and accelerate research into emerging device technologies and unconventional computing paradigms that can analyze sensor data (especially images) with dramatically improved energy efficiency by leveraging physical device behavior and reducing costly data movement.