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Abstract

A configurable computing architecture (10) has its functionality controlled by a combination of static and dynamic control, wherein the configuration is referred to as static control and instructions are referred to as dynamic control. A reconfigurable data path (12) has a plurality of elements including functional units (32, 36), registers (30), and memories (34) whose interconnection and functionality is determined by a combination of static and dynamic control. These elements are connected together, using the static configuration, into a pipelined data path that performs a computation of interest. The dynamic control signals (21) are suitably used to change the operation of a functional unit and the routing of signals between functional units. The static control signals (23) are provided each by a static memory cell (62) that is written by a host (13). The controller (14) generates control instructions (16) that are interpreted by a control path (18) that computes the dynamic control signals. The control path is configured statically for a given application to perform the appropriate interpretation of the instructions generated by the controller. By using a combination of static and dynamic control information, the amount of dynamic control used to achieve flexible operation is significantly reduced.

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First Claim