ASYNC 2004 - General Information

The 10th IEEE International Symposium on Asynchronous Circuits and Systems (ASYNC 2004) is taking place at the Conference Centre of Aldemar Knossos Royal Village Hotel, in Hersonissos, Crete, Greece. This 5-star Hotel combines Minoan Architecture and luxurious facilities. It is situated at Hersonissos, a seaside resort village located 24 km east of "Nikos Kazantzakis" International Airport of Heraklion.

If you are attending ASYNC 2004, please register electronically on the ASYNC 2004 webpage (http://www.async04.gr). On-site Registration will take place at the on-site registration desk, which will be situated outside the Main Conference Room of the Knossos Royal Village Conference Centre.

The ASYNC 2004 Conference Desk will open on Tuesday, 19th of April 2004, at 08:00 and close on Thursday, 22nd of April 2004, at 17:00.

For any specific queries, please contact the ASYNC 2004 conference secretary:

Mrs. Maria Prevelianaki,
Institute of Computer Science (ICS),
Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH),
P.O Box 1385.
Heraklion, Crete,
Greece, GR 711 10.
Tel: +30-2810-391604
Fax: +30-2810-391601
e-mail: mariab@ics.forth.gr

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ASYNC 2004 Sponsors

We would like to express our gratitude to the ASYNC 2004 Conference Sponsors and include information about each sponsor.

FORTH

The Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH) is the largest Greek R&D centre. FORTH is composed of seven Institutes, Computer Science, Mathematics, Biology, Microelectronics and Lasers, Biomedical, Chemical Processes and Mediterranean Studies. These Institutes are located in the cities of Heraklion, Rethymnon, Patras and Ioannina.

FORTH belongs to the wider public sector, supervised and partly funded by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology of the Hellenic Ministry of Development.
Celebrating its 21th anniversary, the Institute aims to maintain its position as a centre of excellence at international level, as well as to establish a leading role in important new areas of scientific endeavor.

ACiD-WG (IST-1999-29119)

ACiD-WG is the European-union funded Working Group on Asynchronous Circuit Design.

ACiD-WG aims at improving the systematic exchange of information and the forging of links between teams which carry out RTD or take-up activities around the theme of asynchronous circuit design. Its objectives in FP5 are as follows:

1. To encourage excellence in science and technology research pertaining to asynchronous circuits and systems.
2. To facilitate the development of methods and tools that are usable by engineers for the design of asynchronous VLSI systems.
3. To promote the adoption of asynchronous circuit design in industry.

Fulcrum

Founded in 2000, Fulcrum Microsystems Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company.  Building on research from California Institute of Technology, Fulcrum is developing a series of standards-based chips leveraging its patented high-performance, low-power "clockless" semiconductor design methodology.  More information can be found at the Fulcrum web site.

Intel

Intel Corporation is a semiconductor manufacturer supplying technology solutions for the computing and communications industries. The Company's major products include microprocessors; chipsets; boards; flash memory; application processors used in cellular handsets and hand-held computing devices; cellular baseband chipsets; networking and communications products, such as ethernet connectivity products, optical components and network processing components, and embedded control chips (microcontrollers).

Philips

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of EUR 31.8 billion in 2002. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 166,500 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, semiconductors, and medical systems.

Sun

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network is the Computer" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com.

Xilinx

Xilinx is the leading supplier of complete programmable logic solutions, including advanced integrated circuits, software design tools, predefined system functions delivered as cores, and unparalleled field engineering support. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Xilinx invented the field programmable gate array (FPGA) and fulfills more than half of the world demand for these devices today. Xilinx solutions enable customers to reduce significantly the time required to develop products for the computer, peripheral, telecommunications, networking, industrial control, instrumentation, aerospace, defense, and consumer markets. For more information, visit the Xilinx web site.

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Conference Travel Information 

Getting to Heraklion

By ferry from Piraeus: Ferry services are operated daily by Minoan Lines and ANEK Lines . Overnight services from Piraeus to Heraklion last approximately 10 hours; regular daily services last approximately 6 hours.

Direct Charter Flights to Heraklion

This is a list (by country) of direct charter flights to/from Heraklion operating in the month of April. This data is based on last years (2003) schedules. Please consult your travel agent for more information.

1. UK, N. Ireland and Ireland:

    Airports: Manchester and London Gatwick only.
    Airlines: Monarch and Air2000.
    Tour Operators: Cosmos, Olympic, JMC, First Choice, MyTravel.

2. Holland:

    Airports: Amsterdam
    Airlines: Transavia and Martinair.
    Tour Operators: Neckerman.

3. Germany
   
    Airports: From all major airports in Germany.
    Airlines: Condor, Germania, Air Berlin, Hapag-Lloyd.
    Tour Operators: TUI, Neckerman.

4. France

    Airports: Paris, Lyons, Marseilles.
    Airlines: Aegean.
    Tour Operators: Nouvelles Frontieres, Heliades, Jettour.

5. Belgium
   
    Airports: Brussels.
    Tour Operator: Jettour.

6. Austria

    Airports: Vienna and Graz.
    Airlines: Condor, Germania, Air Berlin, Hapag-Lloyd.
    Tour Operators: TUI, Neckerman.

7. Switzerland
       
    Airports: Vienna and Zurich.
    Airlines: Condor, Germania, Air Berlin, Hapag-Lloyd.
    Tour Operators: TUI, Neckerman.   

8. Former Eastern Bloc Countries
   
There are now many direct flights connecting Crete with major cities in the former eastern bloc, particularly with Poland and Russia. In April 2003, there was only a 1x weekly link with Warsaw and a 1 x weekly link with Moscow.

Getting to Athens from International Airports - Direct Links

Direct flights to Athens' Intenational Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos) operate from all European capital cities . International direct flights to Athens operate to and from the following international destinations: New York, Montreal, Cairo, Johannesburg, Tunis, Singapore and Bangkok.

VISA Requirements for GREECE

Citizens of the European Union, or holders of a valid SENGHEN visa do not need a visa to visit Greece. Citizens of the following countries do not require a visa to visit Greece: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Esthonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Japan, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, N.Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Rumania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, S. Korea, Switzerland, St.Marino, Uruguay, USA, the Vatican, Venezuela.

Citizens of all other countries should perform the following:

• fill in the VISA Request Form and send it to the ASYNC 2004 Conference Secretariat in order to receive a VISA letter.
  
• contact their nearest Greek Embassy or Consulate and use the VISA letter in order to obtain a VISA or any other necessary documentation required for travelling to GREECE.
  

Transport Information

The conference will take place at the Knossos Royal Village Hotel which is situated 30 Km east of Heraklion near the port town of Hersonissos.

There are several ways of getting to Knossos Royal Village Hotel from Heraklion Airport:

1. Hire a taxi from the taxi station which is outside of the Airport. The cost is approximately 25 euros per car.
2. Rent a car from the airport driving to the east side of the island (see map below).
3. Use the Hotel's Bus Service from the City Centre. The Knossos Royal Village Hotel operates a bus from the City Centre directly to it. This bus departs at 14:00 every day from Heraklion's Bus Station (near the port).
   
4. Use public transport. There is a bus every half hour to the Hersonissos area. Board a bus labeled Hersonissos or Malia from Heraklion's Bus Station (near the port). Then, get off the bus at Hersonissos and hire a taxi driving you to the Knossos Royal Village Hotel which is at Anissaras area [the distance is 5 minutes drive and the price is 1,50 euros per car].

Local Information

Crete is the most southern region of Greece and Europe. It is the largest Greek island and one of the largest in the Mediterranean basin. Separating the Aegean sea from the Libyan sea it marks a physical boundary between Europe and Africa.

The local climate is one of the mildest and healthiest in Europe. On average, winter in Crete is mild and summer warm and sunny. Average year temperature is 19o C (66o F). During June and throughout the summer, expect  the temperature to range from 24o C to 34o C with a mild sea breeze usually moderating the heat. Local time is +2 GMT (or +1 CET).

Diverse landscape is typical around the island. The magnificent White Mountains, Psiloritis and Dikti rise in the centre of the island. There are several fertile plateaus, with the Lassithi plateau being the most prominent amongst them. Parts of the island are split by deep gorges, such as the famous Samaria Gorge. Imposing mountains are rocky terrain alternate with a coastline full of astounding beaches, some secluded, others long and sandy, all with crystal clear waters.

Crete is also renowned for its variety of vegetation, particularly famous for olive trees, orange groves, vineyards and vegetable gardens. Medicinal herbs and fragrant shrubs - laudanum, dittany, marjoram and thyme - grow in rocky areas and the mountain picks host the "Kri-Kri", the cretan goat, a protected species you might encounter wondering in the National Reserve of Samaria Gorge.

This island's fertile soil and towering peaks witnessed the development of the Minoan civilization (2800-1150 B.C.), one of the most important in the history of mankind.  The Minoans  built the famous palatial centres of  Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Zakros, and others.

Another characteristic of Crete is the exceptionally hospitable, independent, and proud attitude of the locals. Walk into a traditional village and they will invite you to sit and eat with them and offer you to taste "raki",  the local spirit. Taste the cretan cuisine, considered as one of  the world's most healthy diets, listen to the sound of traditional lyra playing local music, be amazed by the scenery. Let yourself live this exciting atmosphere and experience!