Prsentation PowerPoint

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Multi-purpose Dynamically Reconfigurable
Platform for Intensive and Heterogeneous
Processing
A Key Step for Embedded Computing
Morpheus is a European initiative to develop an
Embedded computing platform which offers the
technology breakthrough promised by a
reconfigurable multipurpose solution. The
large-scale deployment of embedded systems is
raising increasing needs of computing
performance, cost-efficient development,
functional flexibility and sustainability under
strict low power constraints. This leads to more
complex architectures and an enlarging design
productivity gap current solutions based on
multi-processing platforms are either optimised
for one domain of application (MPSoCs) or general
purpose but less and less cost-efficient (due to
technology limitations) while current programming
tools do not support the time-to-market needs.
Today's economics and time-to-market pressures
force designers to look for solutions that offer
flexibility, security, and reliability. This
create a large opportunity for hardware (HW)
reconfigurable solutions. So, analysts predict
the programmable logic device market will exhibit
235 percent growth between 2002 and 2008, from
2.3 billion to 5.4 billion. The challenge,
then, is to provide"ASIC-like" flexible computing
platforms. MORPHEUS copes with this challenge by
developing a versatile RC platform to validate
the use of different types of dynamically
reconfigurable building blocks implemented on a
modular heterogeneous SOC platform provided with
a software (SW) oriented design flow and a
consistent toolset. These Soft Hardware
architectures will enable huge computing density
improvements (GOPS / Watt), reuse capabilities,
flexibility and time to market thanks to a
convenient programming toolset. MORPHEUS
ambitions to establish the European foundation
for a new concept of flexible domain focused
platforms, positioned between general purpose
flexible HW, unflexible Asics and general
purpose processors thus providing breakthroughs
in performance and cost-effectiveness.
The MORPHEUS platform combines the advantages of
the existing solutions while avoiding their
respective drawbacks like General Purpose
Processors it is programmable, like ASIC it is
optimised and like FPGA it is flexible. MORPHEUS
will provide cost-effectiveness and performance
breakthroughs to embedded computing systems with
a flexible Domain Focused Platform.
Supported by the IST programme Sixth EU
Framework for Research and Technological
Development
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This three-years integrated project will
demonstrate the suitability and the efficiency of
the integrated platform for a set of four
complementary test cases Broadband Wireless
Access, Network routing, professional video,
Homeland security. These applications are highly
representative of future major domains which
require computing solutions offering a
competitive trade-off between efficiency and
programmability. The modular silicon
demonstrator will be composed of complementary
run-time reconfigurable building blocks to
address the different types of application
requirements the explored re-configurable
solutions range from fine and coarse grain
modules to flexible instruction set processing
parts.
The corresponding integrated design flow will
support the fast exploration of HW and SW
alternatives, and the efficient code production
(for configuration and programming) on this
heterogeneous platform. Compared to state of the
art solutions, significant improvements in
combining productivity, flexibility
(reconfiguration time) and computing density are
targeted. The dissemination through silicon offer
and supporting tools (baseline for further
commercial products) will be completed by
specific training and broad information to
address the necessary cultural change resulting
of reconfigurable computing. The workprogramme
is implemented along a 2-step process to monitor
the final content of the project according to
state of the art evolution and first results.

• The Morpheus consortium is composed of leading
  players bringing the state of the art skills in
• dynamically reconfigurable architectures, from
  fine to coarse grained, from synthesizable to
  compilable embedded FPGA building blocks,
• development tools for heterogeneous adaptive
  platforms (SW and EDA techniques),
• demanding applications where dynamic
  reconfiguration is supposed to bring a real
  breakthrough, what has to be demonstrated.
• All the market sectors addressed by
  reconfigurable computing platforms are
  represented IP core providers, Fabless company,
  tool providers, semiconductor industry and
  embedded systems applications.

For further information and contacting the
partners, please visit www.morpheus.arces.unibo.it
or contact the Coordinator
Gilbert Edelin Thales Research Technology
Tel. 33- (1) 69 41 60 57 Gilbert.edelin_at_thalesg
roup.com