A VLSI view of microprogrammed system design

Abstract

In this paper, the possible effects of VLSI technology on the design and development process of microprogrammed systems are explored. The function architectures of future microprogrammed VLSI systems are expected to be very complex, and most of them will be implemented as heterogeneous multiprocessors with each processor being microprogrammed to perform specific tasks. Current microprogrammed system design methodologies are examined and are shown to be inadequate. A new design methodology employing a synthetic approach for developing microprogrammed systems is proposed.