Reconfigurable computing: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:36, 2 September 2020

Revision as of 07:55, 6 December 2020

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==History==

The concept of reconfigurable computing has existed since the 1960s, when [[Gerald Estrin]]'s paper proposed the concept of a computer made of a standard processor and an array of "reconfigurable" hardware.<ref name="Estrin2002">{{cite journal | last1 = Estrin | first1 = G | year = 2002 | title = Reconfigurable computer origins: the UCLA fixed-plus-variable (F+V) structure computer | url = | journal = IEEE Ann. Hist. Comput. | volume = 24 | issue = 4| pages = 3–9 | doi = 10.1109/MAHC.2002.1114865 }}</ref><ref>

Estrin, G., "Organization of Computer Systems—The Fixed Plus Variable Structure Computer",

''Proc. Western Joint Computer Conf.'', Western Joint Computer Conference, New York, 1960, pp. 33–40.</ref> The main processor would control the behavior of the reconfigurable hardware. The latter would then be tailored to perform a specific task, such as [[image processing]] or [[pattern matching]], as quickly as a dedicated piece of hardware. Once the task was done, the hardware could be adjusted to do some other task. This resulted in a hybrid computer structure combining the flexibility of software with the speed of hardware.