FPGA latency optimization using system-level transformations and DFG restructuring

Abstract

This paper describes a system-level approach to improve the latency of FPGA designs by performing optimization of the design specification on a functional level prior to high-level synthesis. The approach uses Taylor Expansion Diagrams (TEDs), a functional graph-based design representation, as a vehicle to optimize the dataflow graph (DFG) used as input to the subsequent synthesis. The optimization focuses on critical path compaction in the functional representation before translating it into a structural DFG representation. Our approach engages several passes of a traditional high-level synthesis (HLS) process in a simulated annealing-based loop to make efficient cost tradeoffs. The algorithm is time efficient and can be used for fast design space exploration. The results indicate a latency performance improvement of 22% on average versus HLS with the initial DFG for a series of designs mapped to Altera Stratix II devices.