A versatile computation module for adaptable multimedia processors

This paper describes a low cost, low power, versatile computation module that can be used as a coarse-grain building block in multimedia processors. The module, which has a datapath and a controller integrated with its local data memory, performs various arithmetic operations on different data types, i.e., 8-bit integer, 16-bit integer, 32-bit integer and single precision floating point numbers. Running in parallel, the module provides high data throughput at low hardware cost. Multiple modules can be connected in a multimedia processor operated in mixed SIMD and MIMD modes, providing great flexibility for data parallel, computation intensive multimedia applications. Compared to recently proposed datapaths, the proposed module has more computational abilities, more flexibility and it is between 2times and 10times more energy efficient