VLSI accelerators for large database systems

An experimental VLSI accelerator research prototype designed and fabricated for relational data filtering is described. It performs high-speed associative search and aggregation operations for formatted databases. For unformatted databases, an experimental fast string search VLSI accelerator that provides a few orders-of-magnitude improvement in text search speed has been developed. The VLSI accelerators have precise instruction sets and hardware interfaces that facilitate their integration into general-purpose computer systems and dedicated systems. Application of the accelerators to both general-purpose and dedicated computer systems is discussed. Related work is examined.<>