Dataflow Description Processing for Concurrent Circuit Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Electronic Design Automation (EDA) systems are unable to effectively map sequential programs into efficient concurrent circuit implementations, disregarding potential parallelism and failing to provide quantitative data for concurrent circuit designs.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for processing a dataflow description of a digital processing system, which involves simulating a model of the dataflow description to generate causation trace data that characterizes actual dependencies between computational steps, allowing for analysis to produce quantitative data that characterizes the dataflow description.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional EDA systems process sequential program descriptions, then the simulation can be performed using existing tools, but the potential parallelism and concurrency in the circuit design are not captured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the sequential program description into a dataflow description by changing the representation parameters. Instead of sequential execution order, the system uses data dependency relationships to represent computational steps, enabling concurrent execution while maintaining functional equivalence. This parameter transformation allows existing sequential tools to analyze concurrent circuits by reparameterizing the problem in terms of dataflow dependencies.
2Ease of operation
If EDA simulators process sequential descriptions of algorithms, then the simulation process is straightforward, but metrics quantifying potential parallelism are disregarded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dataflow description as an intermediary representation between sequential program code and concurrent circuit implementation. This intermediary layer captures data dependency information that quantifies parallelism potential, while remaining processable by existing simulation tools. The dataflow description acts as a mediator that preserves parallelism metrics without requiring complete redesign of the simulation infrastructure.
3Ease of manufacture
If sequential programming languages are used to specify circuits, then programming is simplified, but the concurrency available in the algorithm is obscured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sequential program description into discrete computational steps and identifies data dependency relationships between them. By breaking down the sequential code into individual operations and their data dependencies, the system reveals the underlying concurrency structure without requiring the programmer to explicitly write concurrent code. This segmentation transforms hidden parallelism into visible dataflow relationships.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and apparatus for processing a dataflow description of a digital processing system is described. In one example, a model of the dataflow description is simulated. Computational steps performed during the simulation and actual dependencies among the computational steps resulting from the simulation are identified. Causation trace data is generated in response to the step of recording. The causation trace data may then be analyzed using one or more analyses to produce quantitative data that characterizes the dataflow description.