Cache Configuration Study for a Memory-Bound Workload

FreeVerified credential3 weeksIntermediate

Overview

What this challenge is about.

Profile a memory-bound workload with perf and gem5 across 6 cache configs, then deliver a procurement memo to earn your verifiable certificate.

The scenario

The SKU price difference is around EUR 4,200 per server x 280 nodes = EUR 1.2M of capex — procurement needs evidence, not vendor whitepapers.

CredentialBlockchain-anchored

ShareableLinkedIn-ready

LanguageEnglish

PaceSelf-paced

The Brief

What you'll do, and what you'll demonstrate.

Measure and model cache behavior of a memory-bound CAE solver loop and recommend between two server SKUs with different cache configurations.

Earning criteria — what you'll demonstrate

Measure cache miss rates on real hardware with perf counters
Run a workload through a cache simulator and interpret results
Project simulator results to actual hardware purchases
Communicate hardware-procurement recommendations to non-engineers

Program Fit

Where this fits in your program.

Sharpens the same skills your degree expects you to demonstrate.

Computer Architecture

Bachelor · Systems

Strong alignment

This challenge maps to Computer Architecture at the Bachelor level. It sharpens the same practical skills your coursework expects — but in a real industry context with actual constraints and deliverables.

Skills

Skills you'll demonstrate.

Each one shows up on your verified credential.

Careers

Career paths this challenge builds toward

Completing this challenge demonstrates skills that transfer directly to these roles:

Career paths this builds toward

Canonical roles

Systems Architect
Systems architects make the decisions whose consequences are felt for years. The role is about choosing: which cloud provider, which integration pattern, which trade-off between cost and reliability deserves an Architecture Decision Record so the next team understands the reasoning. You'll work in C4 diagrams, ArchiMate models, and the AWS or Azure Well-Architected Framework, but the real artifact is clarity of thought. Strong architects know when to standardize and when to let a team diverge, and they write documents that survive a leadership change. Students drawn here usually loved their distributed systems course and are patient enough to think before they build. Growth happens through scars: owning architectures end-to-end, watching them strain under real load, and learning which abstractions earned their place.
Platform & Infrastructure

One more thing

You can put a credential on your CV by Friday.

Start this challenge