Abstract
Using dynamic partial reconfiguration (DPR), several circuits can be time-multiplexed on the same FPGA region, saving considerable area compared to an implementation without DPR. However, the long reconfiguration time to switch between circuits remains a significant problem. In this work we show that it is possible to significantly reduce this overhead when the number of circuits is limited. We lower the DPR overhead by reducing the number of configuration bits that needs to be reconfigured. This is achieved by keeping a (predetermined) part of the configuration frames of the DPR region constant/static for all circuits and, consequentially, sharing this part of the configuration between all the circuits. We show that this can be done maintaining the possibility to implement completely unrelated circuits in the DPR region. An extension of the Pathfinder algorithm, called StaticRoute, is presented. It is able to route the nets of the different circuits simultaneously in such a way that the routing of the different circuits is the same in the static part and may only differ in the dynamic part. Our approach is evaluated on the architecture of a commercially available SRAM-based FPGA. We explore how the static part in the configuration memory is best chosen and investigate the associated impact on maximum operating clock frequency as the number of circuits increases. Our experiments show that it is possible to make 50 % of the routing configuration static and therefore reduce the routing reconfiguration time by 50 %, without a significant impact on maximum clock frequency of the circuits. This corresponds to a reduction of total reconfiguration time of 34 %.

Abstract

Abstract
A common use for Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) is the implementation of hardware accelerators. A way of doing so is to specify the internal logic of such accelerators by using Hardware Description Languages (HDLs). However, HDLs rely on the expertise of developers and their knowledge about hardware development with FPGAs. Regarding this, efforts have been focused on developing High-level Synthesis (HLS) tools in an attempt to increase the overall abstraction level required for using FPGAs. However, the solutions presented by such tools are commonly considered inefficient in comparison to the ones achieved by a specialized hardware designer. An alternative solution to program FPGAs is the use of Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs), as they can provide higher abstraction levels than HDLs still allowing the developers to deal with specific issues leading to more efficient designs and not always covered by HLS tools. In this paper we present our recent work on a DSL named LALP (Language for Aggressive Loop Pipelining), which has been developed focusing on the development of FPGA-based, aggressively pipelined, hardware accelerators. We present the recent LALP extensions and the challenges we are facing regarding to the compilation of LALP to FPGAs.

Abstract

Abstract

Abstract
The list of significant papers from the first 25 years of the Field-Programmable Logic and Applications conference (FPL) is presented in this paper. These 27 papers represent those which have most strongly influenced theory and practice in the field.