Scenario-oriented design for single chip heterogeneous multiprocessors

The design of next generation single chip computers may require the selection, programming and coordination of tens to hundreds of individual processing elements (PEs) of several or tens of heterogeneous types. This paper outlines differences in the design process for these next generation single chip systems from that of traditional designs. Then it focuses on a novel design strategy, scenario-oriented design (SOD). SOD is just one design strategy that arises because of the potential of considering applications, schedulers, and hardware as they interact to form a system instead of viewing them as separate design domains. By leveraging one against the other, the system and its design process can be optimized in new ways. This is made possible by reducing the modeling detail of each design domain within a system in high level simulation.