HIGH-LEVEL SYNTHESIS USING PREDEFINED IP-S

Abstract

In this paper, an algorithm is presented for decomposing a system into IP (Intellectual Property) functional units. The system to be decomposed is characterized by a complete cover of the set of its behavioral datapath operations. Such a cover is obtainable at the allocation stage of a high-level synthesis procedure. Each block of the cover represents a subset of behavioral operations, which are non-concurrent, i.e., are executable by the same real resource (processor). Each IP - as a real resource - is assumed to be specified also by a subset of behavioral operations, the execution of which is possible and preferred by applying this IP. The quality constraints of the decomposition are handled as a weighted composition of several criteria, which may characterize a solution (degree of reuse, weighted sum of several cost parameters, etc.). Since the problem is NP-complete \citeDeMicheli94, the quality of the results is illustrated and evaluated on a widely used benchmark example of practical size.