Design space exploration for a coarse grain accelerator

Abstract

In the design process of a reconfigurable accelerator employing in an embedded system, multitude parameters may result in remarkable complexity and a large design space. Design space exploration as an alternative to the quantitative approach can be employed to find a right balance between the different design parameters. In this paper, a hybrid approach is introduced to analytically explore the design space for a coarse grain accelerator and determine a wise design point exploiting data extracted from applications, quantitatively. It also provides flexibility for taking into account new design constraints as well as new characteristics of applications. Furthermore, this approach is a methodological approach which reduces the design time and results in a point which satisfies the design goals.