Reconfigurable Computing

American University of Beirut

Faculty of Engineering and Architecture

Electrical and Computer Engineering Department

Reconfigurable Computing – Course Guide

EECE 612C

A. Course

1. Course Details:

Course Title	Reconfigurable Computing
Level	Seniors and Graduates
Prerequisite	EECE 421 Computer Organization or instructor’s approval
Course Reference	EECE 612C
Lectures	TT 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Student Study Hours Per Week	9
Contact Hours Per Week	3
Private Study Hours Per Week	6
Year and Semester	2004 - 2005 Fall
Lecturer	Dr. I. Damaj
Contact Details	id01[@]aub.edu.lb - Remove the brackets [ ]
Summary of Assessment Method	Project, 1 Quiz, 2 Assignments (Short Research Papers Review), and a Final
Textbook	- R. Kress, “Reconfigurable Computing: Structural Programming with Reconfigurable Datapaths,” ITpress Verlag, Chicago, 1999.

Other Books	- D. Gajski, “High-Level Sythesis, Introduction to Chip and System Design” Kluwer, 1992. - R. Seals, “Programmable Logic: PLDs and FPGAs,” Macmillan, 1997.

Hardware Devices	Xilinx FPGAs

Software Packages	MorphoSys reconfigurable computer emulator, Handel-C high-level HDL compiler (DK design suite), Xilinx ISE.

2. Aims of the Course:

This course presents the foundations of reconfigurable computing architectures and how to apply them to solving computationally-intensive problems. This includes hardware platforms and software support systems for reconfigurable computing using field programmable gate arrays. The emergence of complex reconfigurable systems is igniting a revolution in general-purpose processing. It is now becoming possible to adapt and dedicate functional units to take advantage of application dependent dataflow in order to significantly accelerate a wide variety of applications. This course will examine state-of-the-art systems that dynamically change their configuration with changing data sets and algorithm needs. Topics covered in the course include the basic concept of reconfigurable computing and its modes of operation (static vs. dynamic reconfiguration), examples of successful RC applications, existing architectures, hardware software co-design, new architectures and future trends. The course will lay a foundation for students who are interested in further studies in reconfigurable computing – reconfigurable hardware synthesis and chip design is an active area of research!

3. Short Description:

This course is of 6 chapters divided into 15 weeks. The student should be aware of the importance of revising the material on first come first serve basis. Prerequisites of this course include Computer Organization & Architecture and C programming language. The assessment is done by reviewing 2 short research papers (Ws 4 and 10), 1 design project (proposal due by W8, presentations in W15), a quiz (W9), and a final exam.

4. Schedule:

Details:	Topic	Chapter No.	Assessment
Week 1	Introduction and Motivation	1
Weeks 2 – 9	Reconfigurable Computing Architectures 2.1 Hardware Design and Programmable Logic 2.2 Programmable Logic Devices, General Architectures, SPLDs and CPLDs 2.3 Programmable Logic Devices, FPGAs	2	Research Assignment I (W4) Project Proposal (W9)
Weeks 10 – 12	High-Level Synthesis of Reconfigurable Hardware	3	Quiz (W10)
Week 12*	Reconfigurable Computing Applications Seminar by Prof. Fadi Kurdahi from University of California, Irvine
Week 13	Case Study I: Handel-C High-Level HDL	4	Research Assignment II (W11)
Week 14	Reconfigurable Computing Systems Case Study II: The MorphoSys System	5
Week 14	Case Study III: Synthesis of Cryptographic Algorithms for FPGAs	6
Week 15	Research and Future Directions of Reconfigurable Computing		Projects Presentations (W15)

* Given during week 12, the same general topic (Reconfigurable Computing Applications) is to be completed in week 14.

5. Assessment of the Course:

Attendance	5%
Assignments and Quiz	30%
Project	30%
Final	35%

Students are required to review at least two papers over the term relevant to the scope of the course. Each review should answer the following questions:

• What is the goal of the paper?

• A summary of what the paper is about.

• The techniques used.

• What conclusions can be drawn from the study?

• Comments on the paper (what's good, what's bad, what does it show, and where does it lead).