Reconfigurable Computing

Part I. Reconfigurable Computing Hardware

At a fundamental level, reconfigurable computing is the process of best exploiting the potential of reconfigurable hardware. Although a complete system must include compilation software and high-performance applications, the best place to begin to understand reconfigurable computing is at the chip level, as it is the abilities and limitations of chips that crucially influence all of a system’s steps. However, the reverse is true as well—reconfigurable devices are designed primarily as a target for the applications that will be developed, and a chip that does not efficiently support important applications, or that cannot be effectively targeted by automatic design mapping flows, will not be successful. ...