VLSI-the driving force for computer peripherals

The possibility of achieving better price performance by sweeping more and more functions into a homogeneous silicon VLSI environment stops at the CPU/peripheral interface of a data-processing system, even though this boundary itself moves towards the CPU or the peripheral unit under the pressure of technological innovations. It is nevertheless the basic nature and the task of a peripheral device to be a technology transducer. Recently, VLSI has been used to control and optimize the moving of information in peripheral devices across technological boundaries from one technological environment to another. Improved VLSI price performance and density make it possible to house the great majority of the transition management functions in the peripheral unit itself, freeing the CPU from the chores of peripheral management, and at the time providing a great amount of independence in operation, maintenance, and recovery between CPU and reliability characteristics