A dataflow computer which accelerates execution of sequential programs by precedent firing instructions

In the dataflow machine, it is important to avoid degradation of performance in sequential processing, and it is important from the viewpoint of hardware scale to reduce the number of waiting operands. This paper demonstrates that processing performance is degraded by sequential processing in the switching process, and presents a method of remedy. Precedent firing control is proposed as a means of remedy, and it is shown by a simulation that the execution time and the total number of waiting operands can be reduced by the precedent firing control. Then the hardware scale is examined as an evaluation of precedent firing control. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 33(9): 68–77, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.1153