Emerald - An Architecture-Driven Tool Compiler for FPGAs

Ideally, the development phase of a new FPGA architecture would make use of a reliable set of mapping tools to produce accurate performance evaluations of proposed designs. Unfortunately, given the quick production time frames faced by most developers, tool construction is often postponed until after many architectural features have been frozen. To satisfy the need for fast tool prototyping, we have designed Emerald, a powerful architecture-driven system for quick development of FPGA tools. At its heart Emerald provides the basic features needed in all FPGA systems - logic block analysis, synthesis and technology mapping, global placement and partitioning, and detailed placement and routing. Its CAD environment provides an efficient way to thoroughly specify an FPGA´s routing and logic block architectures, as well as architecture-specific metrics to tailor placement and routing. Moreover, Emerald´s parameterized schematic specifications allow architectural veriations to be quickly captured and evaluated. The overall system is demonstrated on a bus-oriented sea-of-gates FPGA similar to the Atmel 6000.