Context Switching Reconfigurable Computing.

摘要

This report describes the development of a new field programmable gate array (FPGA) device that enables dynamic reconfiguration, the changing of hardware logic during normal system operation. The Context Switching Reconfigurable (CSRC) FPGA is capable of storing four configurations on-chip and switching between them on a single clock cycle basis. Configurations can be loaded while other contexts are active, and a powerful cross-context data sharing mechanism has bee implemented. This feature allows data to be saved on the device while other programs (context) may operate on the data. This report provides the details of the two-phase development of the CSRC device. The first phase involved the development of a small prototype integrated circuit (IC) version of the CSRC technology. This IC served both as a concept validation tool and platform for acquiring empirical data about the performance enhancements afforded by this new technology. The subsequent phase entailed the development and fabrication of a large IC (greater capacity) with several additional features. Both the prototype and the larger more capable final device are full custom IC designs designated and fabricated on National Semiconductor's .35u line.