A universal co-processor for workstations

This paper considers the design and implementation of an FPGA-based configurable co-processor for general-purpose computers. Topics include the selection of suitable FPGAs as well as their interconnection. Various architectures are considered, one of which is examined in detail. It is based on the concepts of providing complex address generators separate from the data path and the availability of multiple concurrently accessible memory banks. The hardware and software interfaces to the host and operating system are outlined before a practical implementation and problems suitable for implementation on the proposed co-processor are discussed.