Method and apparatus for providing user-defined interfaces for a configurable processor

Abstract

A technique that improves both processor performance and associated data bandwidth through user-defined interfaces that can be added to a configurable and extensible microprocessor core. These interfaces can be used to communicate status or control information and to achieve synchronization between the processor and any external device including other processors. These interfaces can also be used to achieve data transfer at the rate of one data element per interface in every clock cycle. This technique makes it possible to design multiprocessor SOC systems with high-speed data transfer between processors without using the memory subsystem. Such a system and design methodology offers a complete shift from the standard bus-based architecture and allows designers to treat processors more like true computational units, so that designers can more effectively utilize programmable solutions rather than design dedicated hardware. This can have dramatic effects not only in the performance and bandwidth achieved by designs, but also in the time to market and reuse of such designs.