'''Reconfigurable computing''' is a [[computer architecture]] combining some of the flexibility of software with the high performance of hardware by processing with very flexible high speed computinghardware fabricsplatforms like [[FPGA|field-programmable gate array]]s (FPGAs). The principal difference when compared to using ordinary [[microprocessor]]s is the ability to makeadd substantialcustom changescomputational toblocks theusing [[datapath]] itself in addition to the control flowFPGAs. On the other hand, the main difference from custom hardware, i.e. [[application-specific integrated circuit]]s (ASICs) is the possibility to adapt the hardware during runtime by "loading" a new circuit on the reconfigurable fabric, thus providing new computational blocks without the need to [[Semiconductor device fabrication|manufacture]] and add new [[Integrated circuit|chips]] to the existing system.
