XPP-VC: A C Compiler with Temporal Partitioning for the PACT-XPP Architecture

The eXtreme Processing Platform (XPP) is a unique reconfigurable computing (RC) architecture supported by a complete set of design tools. This paper presents the XPP Vectorizing C Compiler XPP-VC, the first high-level compiler for this architecture. It uses new mapping techniques, combined with efficient vectorization. A temporal partitioning phase guarantees the compilation of programs with unlimited complexity, provided that only the supported C subset is used. A new loop partitioning scheme permits to map large loops of any kind. It is not constrained by loop dependences or nesting levels. To our knowledge, the compilation performance is unmatched by any other compiler for RC. Preliminary evaluations show compilation times of only a few seconds from C code to configuration binaries and performance speedups over standard microprocessor implementations. The overall technology represents a significant step toward RC architectures which are faster and simpler to program.

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