Efficient signal processing in embedded Java systems

Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is a necessary capability of the new portable devices, as multimedia content becomes common place for embedded digital systems. However, because of the stream-like behavior of multimedia applications, specialized processors and compilers are required to manipulate contents such as audio and video. This paper presents a set of architecture modifications that interact with the compiler, generating an optimized code so that one can use a single language (Java) for the specification of complex System-on-Chip (SoC) devices with signal processing characteristics. Besides reaching a higher efficiency for DSP, the designer maintains the portability of the Java code for general purpose computing. Experimental results show that with a 5% of area overhead one can reach from 23% to 50% performance improvement in FemtoJava microcontroller.