Embedded Computing: A VLIW Approach to Architecture, Compilers and Tools
The fact that there are more embedded computers than general-purpose computers and that we are impacted by hundreds of them every day is no longer news. What is news is that their increasing performance requirements, complexity and capabilities demand a new approach to their design.
Fisher, Faraboschi, and Young describe a new age of embedded computing design, in which the processor is central, making the approach radically distinct from contemporary practices of embedded systems design. They demonstrate why it is essential to take a computing-centric and system-design approach to the traditional elements of nonprogrammable components, peripherals, interconnects and buses. These elements must be unified in a system design with high-performance processor architectures, microarchitectures and compilers, and with the compilation tools, debuggers and simulators needed for application development.
In this landmark text, the authors apply their expertise in highly interdisciplinary hardware/software development and VLIW processors to illustrate this change in embedded computing. VLIW architectures have long been a popular choice in embedded systems design, and while VLIW is a running theme throughout the book, embedded computing is the core topic. Embedded Computing examines both in a book filled with fact and opinion based on the authors many years of R&D experience.
· Complemented by a unique, professional-quality embedded tool-chain on the authors' website, http://www.vliw.org/book
· Combines technical depth with real-world experience
· Comprehensively explains the differences between general purpose computing systems and embedded systems at the hardware, software, tools and operating system levels.
· Uses concrete examples to explain and motivate the trade-offs.
Why Read This Book
You should read this book if you need a systems-minded treatment of high-performance embedded processor design: it ties VLIW microarchitecture trade-offs to the compiler and toolchain techniques required to exploit them. You'll get a practical view of how processor design, software tool support, and system integration interact to meet embedded performance and power goals.
Who Will Benefit
Embedded systems and DSP engineers or architects who are designing or porting compute-intensive applications to VLIW-style or statically scheduled processors and need to understand both hardware and compiler implications.
Level: Advanced — Prerequisites: Familiarity with basic computer architecture concepts (pipelines, ILP), compiler fundamentals (code generation, scheduling), and experience with C/assembly and embedded-system constraints.
Key Takeaways
- Explain the architectural motivations and trade-offs behind VLIW designs for embedded systems.
- Analyze how compiler techniques (instruction scheduling, bundling, register allocation) map applications efficiently onto VLIW pipelines.
- Design or evaluate toolchains and simulators that support code generation and performance tuning for statically scheduled processors.
- Assess system-level impacts (memory subsystem, buses, peripherals) of processor choices on embedded performance and energy.
- Apply hardware/software co‑design principles to partition functionality and optimize system throughput on VLIW-style processors.
Topics Covered
- 1. Introduction: The Embedded Computing Shift
- 2. Workloads and Performance Requirements for Embedded Systems
- 3. VLIW Architecture Fundamentals and Design Trade-offs
- 4. Processor Microarchitecture: Pipelines, Issue, and Parallelism
- 5. Instruction Set Design and Encoding for VLIW
- 6. Compiler Technology Overview for VLIW Processors
- 7. Instruction Scheduling, Bundling, and Register Allocation
- 8. Code Generation and Optimization Techniques
- 9. Memory Hierarchies and System Interconnects in Embedded Designs
- 10. Tools, Simulators and Debugging Support
- 11. Hardware/Software Co-Design and System Integration
- 12. Case Studies and Evaluation of VLIW Embedded Systems
- 13. Future Directions and Emerging Issues
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More focused on VLIW and toolchain co-design than broad texts like Hennessy & Patterson; complements compiler-focused books (e.g., the Dragon Book) by applying compiler techniques to real embedded processor architectures.
