PACE: a regular array for implementing regularly and irregularly structured algorithms

摘要

The programmable adaptive computing engine (PACE), a medium-grained cellular automaton-based architecture supporting regularly and irregularly structured functions within a regularly structured array, is introduced. The PACE philosophy is described in detail. Its flexibility is demonstrated through the embedment of three irregularly structured algorithms within the PACE environment. Some results obtained from an investigation into processor granularity are presented to assess the size and performance of the PACE family of processors.