Coarse-grained reconfigurable architecture (CGRA) has emerged as a solution for flexible, application-specific optimization of embedded systems. Helping you understand the issues involved in designing and constructing embedded systems, Design of Low-Power Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Architectures offers new frameworks for optimizing the architecture of components in embedded systems in order to decrease area and save power. Real application benchmarks and gate-level simulations substantiate these frameworks. The first half of the book explains how to reduce power in the configuration cache. The authors present a low-power reconfiguration technique based on reusable context pipelining that merges the concept of context reuse into context pipelining. They also propose dynamic context compression capable of supporting required bits of the context words set to enable and the redundant bits set to disable. In addition, they discuss dynamic context management for reducing power consumption in the configuration cache by controlling a read/write operation of the redundant context words. Focusing on the design of a cost-effective processing element array to reduce area and power consumption, the second half of the text presents a cost-effective array fabric that uniquely rearranges processing elements and their interconnection designs. The book also describes hierarchical reconfigurable computing arrays consisting of two reconfigurable computing blocks with two types of communication structure. The two computing blocks share critical resources, offering an efficient communication interface between them and reducing the overall area. The final chapter takes an integrated approach to optimization that draws on the design schemes presented in earlier chapters. Using a case study, the authors demonstrate the synergy effect of combining multiple design schemes.

Which came first, the system or the chip? While integrated circuits enable technology for the modern information age, computing, communication, and network chips fuel it. As soon as the integration ability of modern semiconductor technology offers presents opportunities, issues in power consumption, reliability, and form-factor present challenges. The demands of emerging software applications can only be met with unique systems and chips. Drawing on contributors from academia, research, and industry, Unique Systems and Chips explores unique approaches to designing future computing and communication chips and systems. The book focuses on specialized hardware and systems as opposed to general-purpose chips and systems. It covers early conception and simulation, mid-development, application, testing, and performance. The chapter authors introduce new ideas and innovations in unique aspects of chips and system design, then go on to provide in-depth analysis of these ideas. They explore ways in which these chips and systems may be used in further designs or products, spurring innovations beyond the intended scopes of those presented. International in flavor, the book brings industrial and academic perspectives into focus by presenting the full spectrum of applications of chips and systems.

The book belongs to the subject area of Engineering and Computer Science. The manufacturers of commercially off the shelves (COTS) microprocessors do not share the safety related information on using their products for time-critical sensitivity applications. The complexity of modern microprocessor evaluation in general and for time-critical applications in particular has been a well known challenge for both researchers and practicing engineers. This book's purpose is to bridge this gap and provide some safety assurances in using COTS embedded processors. The book combines the existing results and ongoing research results for both the researchers and practicing engineers in industry.