Dynamic Reconfiguration Optimisation with Streaming Data Decompression

This paper presents a high performance reconfiguration controller enhanced with the use of streaming lossless decompression in its data path. Two reconfiguration controllers are designed, the first is a generic controller that utilises standard concepts such as Direct Memory Access, burst mode transfer of data and interrupts to maximise throughput. This controller is then improved by the inclusion of a streaming decompression engine optimised for the Internal Configuration Access Port (ICAP) interface. This new controller significantly improves the reconfiguration speed of the system and throughputs of up to 385 Mbytes/sec are recorded. As power and energy become very important constraints in the system design, an investigation of the overheads associated with the use of the reconfiguration controller are experimentally quantified and presented.

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