Title :
A dynamic instruction set computer
Author :
Wirthlin, Michael J. ; Hutchings, Brad L.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT, USA
Abstract :
A dynamic instruction set computer (DISC) has been developed that supports demand-driven modification of its instruction set. Implemented with partially reconfigurable FPGAs, DISC treats instructions as removable modules paged in and out through partial reconfiguration as demanded by the executing program. Instructions occupy FPGA resources only when needed and FPGA resources can be reused to implement an arbitrary number of performance-enhancing application-specific instructions. DISC further enhances the functional density of FPGAs by physically relocating instruction modules to available FPGA space
Keywords :
computer architecture; field programmable gate arrays; instruction sets; reconfigurable architectures; demand-driven modification; dynamic instruction set computer; partially reconfigurable FPGAs; performance-enhancing application-specific instructions; Application specific processors; Computer aided instruction; Equations; Field programmable gate arrays; Flexible printed circuits; Hardware; Instruction sets; Process design; Random access memory; Runtime;
Conference_Titel :
FPGAs for Custom Computing Machines, 1995. Proceedings. IEEE Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Napa Valley, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-8186-7548-9
DOI :
10.1109/FPGA.1995.477415
