软硬件联合仿真方法进行微处理器流水线管理优化设计

Optimization of Pipeline Management Strategy for Microprocessors Using HW/SW Cosimulation Method

本文讨论微处理器设计过程中使用的软硬件联合仿真评估方法。本方法可以在进行硬件设计时辅助设计者分析软硬件划分方案的合理性,并对设计的原型系统的性能和成本进行定量的评估。本文以通用数字信号处理器的流水线控制单元设计为案例,介绍这种方法思想以及具体应用。通过采用这套方法的应用,设计者找出流水线控制单元的软硬件合理划分方案,在性能受影响极小的前提下,获得硬件逻辑和芯片面积显著减小,功耗和成本大大降低的集成电路设计方案。

In this paper, a Hardware/Software cosimulation method is proposed. This method can help hardware designers optimize the pipeline management strategy of micro-processors. Quantitative system performance can be measured through this design flow. It was successfully apllied in the Program Controller Unit (PCU) design of a Digital Signal Processor(DSP). Three PCU solutions were analyzed respectively with the same bench-mark programs. The most cost-effective solution was selected af-ter the evaluation metrics were analyzed with HW/SW co - simula-tion method. Finally high system performance was gained with relatively low hardware costs.