A Hardware-Software Codesign Framework for Scalable Reconfigurable Computing

"The project goal is to construct and demonstrate an approach for building reconfigurable computing systems using reprogrammable logic arrays, FPGAs, under coordination of one or more processors leading to standardization of a process for reconfigurablecomputing applications using heterogeneous components and tools. The constraints on achieving these goals include the current limitations of available tools and the varying types of parallelism found in different applications. Within the scope of theproject and identified applications, a software/hardware co-design process that leverages the effectiveness of reconfigurable components will be developed and evaluated, the methods and interfaces developed should support techniques and have universalapplication to other domains of interest. The approach consists of: (a) describing a hierarchical structure for partitioning of SW modules, (b) composition strategies for creating larger and complex SW modules, (c) quantification of interaction betweenSW modules, and (d) development of processes of mapping SW modules onto HW and (e) a novel decision procedure for determining the goodness of the mapping. A team has been formed consisting of WWTG's ultra-dependable systems experts, reconfigurablecomputing expertise from a leading university laboratory, and commercialization support from a Prime Contractor executing major satellite communications and sensor programs.A multi-phased commercializa