Reconfigurable computing allows chips and components to be replaced or rearranged for different functions and data flow arrangements. Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) computers offer maximum processing power for specialized tasks. Reconfigurable systems provide flexibility and speed, consuming less power than software tasks. Research is being conducted to advance reconfigurable computing practices in various fields.
Reconfigurable computing is a term applied to different computing options. A reconfigurable computer is one in which the chips and components of the computer architecture can be replaced with others on demand. Alternatively, the chips and components may be rearranged and wired together differently to perform different functions and follow different data flow arrangements. A reconfigurable computer may or may not contain a general purpose computer processing unit (CPU), may have several CPUs, or be managed only by dedicated integrated circuits and field programmable port arrays. Some people refer to reconfigurable computing as hybrid computing, parallel computing, pipeline computing, or high-performance computing.
Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) computers can have a CPU to perform platform and network functions, or they can perform all CPU functions independently, in a reconfigurable computer. These FPGAs are computer logic components that can be grouped together in a variety of wiring configurations, producing different functions and data streams, and can be rearranged into new arrangements at any time. This flexibility provides maximum raw processing power for specialized computing tasks and greater speed capabilities than general purpose computers. In alternative options, FPGAs can be repeatedly reprogrammed by hardware-specific languages, using parallel computing, to produce different data flow paths and concurrent operations on pipeline data.
Hybrid computing is considered reconfigurable computing as it involves a general purpose CPU core paired with specific application cores for specific uses, increasing the capabilities and speed of certain computing functions. These application-specific cores can be FPGAs, consumer reconfigured, or reconfigurable data processing arrays (rDPAs). In addition, a PCI Express® computer expansion card can be added internally to the motherboard or externally in its case, to increase the capabilities of the signaling or graphics card. Reconfigurable computing is all about offering high-performance options for specialized tasks.
The reason that reconfigurable computing systems are preferred over general purpose computing is that reconfigurable systems provide such performance flexibility. A reconfigurable system can be changed on the fly before execution, between sets of functions, or almost anytime during execution via instruction bit streams. These reconfigurations can take place while another part of the logical system is processing other tasks. There is a big speed difference between using software tasks and using the flexibility of reconfigurable computing to perform the same tasks, while consuming less power.
In the scientific, academic, military, and commercial communities, many fields of research are being conducted to advance reconfigurable computing practices. Much of this research is aimed at producing better overhead cost management in operating systems. Relatedly, research is being done on choices in delegating tasks to host CPUs and logical FPGAs. Additionally, optimization strategies for FPGAs in video, signal, and network processing for the scientific and military communities, and bioinformatics for the medical communities, are emphasized.
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