Unit 5 Reading-configurable computing.pptVIP

Configurable Computing Reading for Unit 5 1. Configurable Computing Computer designers face a constant struggle to find the fight balance(矛盾平衡) between speed and generality. They can build versatile chips that perform many different functions relatively slowly, or they can devise application-specific chips that do only a limited set of tasks but do them much more quickly. In contrast(对比, 对照), custom hardware circuits, often known as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs专用集成电路), provide precisely(正好) the functionality needed for a specific task. By carefully tuning each ASIC to a given job, the computer designer can produce a smaller, cheaper, faster chip that consumes less power than a programmable processor. A custom graphics chip for a PC, for instance, can draw lines or paint(绘, 描绘) pictures on the screen 10 or 100 times as quickly as a general-purpose central processing unit can. As designers make their choices between versatility and speed, they must also confront the issue of cost. A well-designed ASIC will solve the specific problem for which it was designed, but probably not (solve) a slightly modified problem introduced after the ASIC design is finished. As a result, the engineering effort-required to design and build an ASIC must be amortized over a relatively small number of units. amortize 分摊 2. Programmable Circuitry A new development in integrated circuits offers a third option: large, fast, field-programmable gate arrays, or FPGAs-highly tuned(高度调谐 ) hardware circuits that can be modified at almost any point during use. FPGAs consist of arrays of configurable logic blocks that implement the logical functions of gates. Logic gates are like switches with multiple inputs and a single output. They are used in digital circuits to perform basic binary operations such as AND, NAND, OR, NOR and XOR. In most hardware that is used in computing today, the logical functions of gates are fixed and cannot be modified. In FPGAs, however, both the logic fu