Configurable Logic Page

Configurable Logic

General Idea about the configurable computing

System performance is the most important factor that designers must consider while designing their systems. As much as dedicated optimized circuits for specific problem are considered, the system performance increases. The maximum performance can be achieved when the circuits are optimized for only single problem. This is OK, but what if a new problem is to be considered even with minor changes to the old one, the whole system must be redesigned and optimized according to it. As a result, the flexibility of changing any parameter of the system is lost. This approach is usually accepted is ASIC designs. General purpose systems can be built to accommodate this problem and to increase system flexibility by means of software. This reduces the system performance because the hardware has no dedicated resources that can be used by specific algorithms. So we need new technique that can be optimized for special circuits while keeping system flexibility. The configurable computing can achieve this. Dedicated circuits can be built on FPGAs and these circuits can be easily modified by reprogramming the chips again. Run-Time Reconfiguration that is an advanced technique based on configurable computing can increase system performance by using highly optimized circuits that are loaded and unloaded dynamically during the operation of the system. In this way system flexibility is maintained and functional density is increased.