PipeRench: A virtualized programmable datapath in 0.18 micron technology

PipeRench is a programmable datapath that can be used to accelerate numerically intensive applications. The unique aspect of PipeRench is its ability to virtualize hardware through self-managed dynamic reconfiguration. This capability provides application portability and scalability without redesign or recompilation. This paper describes the implementation of PipeRench in a 0.18 micron process. The implementation has 3.65 million transistors and runs at 120 MHz. Performance is competitive with high-end commercial DSP architectures and more than five times faster than a commercial microprocessor. Executing at 33 MHz, an FIR filter without virtualization consumes 519 mW. When virtualization is required, the implementation consumes approximately 675 mW.