Multiprocessor architectures for embedded system-on-chip applications

Real-time multimedia applications that involve processing of video and audio streams demand computational performance of a few Giga operations per second, which cannot be obtained using a single processor. An embedded system intended for such an application must also support networking and IO interfaces, which are best handled by dedicated interface processors that are coordinated by a housekeeping processor. Dedicated processors may also be necessary for parsing and processing video/audio stream and, video/graphics rendering. In this paper, we provide an overview of multiprocessor architectures that are evolving for such embedded applications. We argue that the VLSI design challenges involved in designing an equivalent uniprocessor solution for the same application may make such a solution prohibitively expensive, making multiprocessor SoC an attractive alternative.