Apparatus, method, system and executable module for configuration and operation of adaptive integrated circuitry having fixed, application specific computational elements

• US 8,880,849 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Master, Paul L., Smith, Stephen J., Watson, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Partridge, William B
• Application Number:
  US13/589,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 712/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/7867 with reconfigurable architecture
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/80 comprising an array of processing units with common control, e.g. single instruction multiple data processors G06F15/82 takes precedence ; for correlation function computation G06F17/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/57 Arithmetic logic units [ALU], i.e. arrangements or devices for performing two or more of the operations covered by groups G06F7/483 – G06F7/556 or for performing logical operations G06F7/49, G06F7/491 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The present invention concerns configuration of a new category of integrated circuitry for adaptive computing. The various embodiments provide an executable information module for an adaptive computing engine (ACE) integrated circuit and may include configuration information, operand data, and may also include routing and power control information. The ACE IC comprises a plurality of heterogeneous computational elements coupled to an interconnection network. The plurality of heterogeneous computational elements include corresponding computational elements having fixed and differing architectures, such as fixed architectures for different functions such as memory, addition, multiplication, complex multiplication, subtraction, configuration, reconfiguration, control, input, output, and field programmability. In response to configuration information, the interconnection network is operative to configure the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements for a plurality of different functional modes.

Claims

1. A system for configuring and operating an adaptive circuit, the system comprising:

a first routable and executable information module, the first module having first configuration information and having a first routing sequence for routing the configuration information and operand data related to a first functional mode;

a plurality of heterogeneous computational units including a digital signal processing unit, each of the plurality of heterogeneous computational units including a plurality of computational elements, a subset of the plurality of computational elements of one or more of the plurality of heterogeneous computational units designated by the first routing sequence, wherein the first module is in a format readable by each of the plurality of heterogeneous computational units, the format including a header field having an address associated with the adaptive circuit, a routing field including at least a part of the first routing sequence, and a configuration information field including at least a part of the first configuration information;

an interconnection network coupled to the plurality of heterogeneous computational units, the interconnection network adapted to selectively provide the first module to the plurality of heterogeneous computational units, the interconnection network further adapted to change interconnections between the subset of the plurality of computational elements for the first functional mode in response to the first configuration information, wherein the first module is separated into at least two packets for provision to the plurality of heterogeneous computational units through the interconnection network; and

a memory coupled to the interconnection network, the memory adapted to store the first configuration information in a memory location, the first module including a flag to the memory location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first module coordinates the configuration of the subset of the plurality of computational elements for the first functional mode with operand data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first module further comprises:

an iteration control sequence to direct a temporal continuation of a selected configuration of the subset of the plurality of computational elements.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is embodied within a mobile device having a plurality of operating modes including:

a mobile telecommunication mode, a personal digital assistance mode, a multimedia reception mode, a mobile packet-based communication mode, and a paging mode.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of computational elements of the digital signal processing unit each perform a function from the group of multiplication, addition, subtraction, accumulation, summation and dynamic shift.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first functional mode is one of fixed point arithmetic functions, floating point arithmetic functions, filtering functions, and transformation functions.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of computational elements of the digital signal processing unit perform word level manipulation.

8. A routable and executable information module stored in a non-transitory, machine-readable medium for operating an adaptive system, the adaptive system including a plurality of heterogeneous computational units including a digital signal processing unit, the computational units each having differing computing architectures including a plurality of interconnected computational elements and an interconnection network responsive to configure interconnections between the plurality of computational elements for a plurality of operating modes, wherein the information module is in a format readable by each of the plurality of heterogeneous computational units, the format including a header field having an address associated with the adaptive system, a routing field including at least a part of the first routing sequence, and a configuration information field including at least a part of the first configuration information, the information module comprising:

a configuration sequence to direct a first configuration of the interconnections between the plurality of computational elements to perform a first operating mode, the interconnections being changed between at least some of the plurality of computational elements and computational units in response to the first configuration of interconnections, wherein the information module is separated into at least two packets for provision to the plurality of heterogeneous computational units through the interconnection network;

a routing sequence to route information for selective routing of the configuration sequence to the interconnections between the plurality of computational elements; and

an iteration control sequence to direct a temporal continuation of the first configuration of the plurality of computational elements.

9. The information module of claim 8, wherein the computational elements of the digital signal processing unit each perform a function from the group of multiplication, addition, subtraction, accumulation, summation and dynamic shift.

10. The information module of claim 8, wherein the configuration sequence directs the configuration of the digital signal processing unit to perform a function including one of fixed point arithmetic functions, floating point arithmetic functions, filtering functions, and transformation functions.

11. The information module of claim 8, wherein the configuration sequence directs one of the computational units to perform a bit level manipulation computational function and directs the digital signal processing unit to perform word level manipulation.

12. The information module of claim 8, wherein the plurality of heterogeneous computational units includes a simple computational unit having a plurality computational elements including a function generator and an adder, a register and an adder, a function generator and a register, or a function generator and an adder and a register, the function generator having data inputs and a control input to selection a specific function;

and

wherein the plurality of computational elements of the digital signal processing unit includes a multiplier and an adder, a multiplier and a register, or a multiplier and an adder and a register.

13. A method of configuring and operating an adaptive circuit including a plurality of heterogeneous computational units including a digital signal processing unit, each of the plurality of heterogeneous computational units including a plurality of computational elements and an interconnection network coupled to the plurality of heterogeneous computational units, the method comprising:

creating a first routable and executable information module having first configuration information and having a format readable by each of the plurality of heterogeneous computational units, the format including a header field having an address associated with the adaptive circuit, a routing field, a configuration information field including at least a part of a first configuration information, a first routing sequence for routing the configuration information, the first routing sequence stored at least partly in the routing field, and operand data related to a first functional mode;

designating a subset of the plurality of computational elements of one or more of the plurality of heterogeneous computational units by the first routing sequence;

adapting the interconnection network to selectively provide the first module to the plurality of heterogeneous computational units in at least two packets;

changing interconnections of the interconnection network between the subset of the plurality of computational elements for the first functional mode in response to the first configuration information; and

storing the first configuration information in a memory location of a memory coupled to the interconnection network, the first module including a flag to the memory location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the computational elements of the digital signal processing unit each perform a function from the group of multiplication, addition, subtraction, accumulation, summation and dynamic shift.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the configuration sequence directs the configuration of the digital signal processing unit to perform a function including one of fixed point arithmetic functions, floating point arithmetic functions, filtering functions, and transformation functions.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the configuration sequence directs one of the computational units to perform a bit level manipulation computational function and directs the digital signal processing unit to perform word level manipulation.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of heterogeneous computational units includes a simple computational unit having a plurality computational elements including a function generator and an adder, a register and an adder, a function generator and a register, or a function generator and an adder and a register, the function generator having data inputs and a control input to selection a specific function;

and

wherein the plurality of computational elements of the digital signal processing unit includes a multiplier and an adder, a multiplier and a register, or a multiplier and an adder and a register.