A Computer-Aided Design Methodology for Application-Specific Embedded Processors

技术的进步使得处理器核心、程序ROM和特定应用电路都集成在一个IC上成为可能。因此，高级语言编译器是克服嵌入式系统设计复杂性的必要工具。本研究的目的是开发一个可重目标编译器框架，该框架可以为各种处理器体系结构生成优化的代码。该方法包括开发一种机器描述语言来描述广泛的处理器体系结构。进一步的任务包括：构建可重目标代码生成器和优化器，以及编译代码的模拟器，以获得性能指标。非常通用的代码优化算法是可参数化的相对于功能单元的数量，寄存器，和它们之间的互连拓扑正在探索。开发的算法被集成到一个框架中，用于与机器相关的代码生成和优化。

Advances in technology have made it possible to integrate a processor core, a program ROM, and application-specific circuitry all on a single IC. Thus, high-level language compilers are essential tools for overcoming complexity in embedded system design. This research is on development of a retargetable compiler framework that can generate optimized code for a variety of processor architectures. The approach includes development of a machine description language to describe a wide range of processor architectures. Further tasks include: building a retargetable code generator and optimizer, and a simulator for the compiled code to obtain performance metrics. Very general code optimization algorithms that are parameterizable with respect to the number of functional units, registers, and the topology of interconnect between them are being explored. The developed algorithms are being integrated into a framework for machine-dependent code generation and optimization.