Microprocessor Design

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Microprocessor Design

• Nattha Jindapetch
• December 2008

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Agenda

• Introduction
• Types of Microprocessors
• Instruction Set Design
• Software tools
• FPGA microprocessor cores
• Case studies
• LABs

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Introduction

• µP on FPGAs?
• Todays FPGAs will not be able to implement such
  a top-of-the-range µP (Intel) with a single FPGA.
• But there are many applications where a
  less-powerful µP can be quite helpful.
• In software, or when designed as an FSM, an
  algorithm like an FFT may ran slower, but usually
  needs much less resources.
• So the µP we build with FPGAs are more of the
  microcontroller type than a fully featured modern
  Intel.
• You may argue that this can be done with an FSM.

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Introduction

• µP on FPGAs?
• The early version of Xilinx PicoBlaze processor
  (KCPSM) Ken Chapman programmable state machine

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Introduction

• A complete µP design usually involves several
  steps, such as
• the architecture exploration phase,
• the instruction set design, and
• the development tools.

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Types of Microprocessors

• Usually microprocessor are classified into three
  major classes
• General-Purpose Microprocessors or CISC
• RISC Microprocessors
• PDSPs

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General-Purpose Microprocessors

• Usually based on CISC (Complex Instruction Set
  Computer)

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RISC Microprocessors

• RISC Microprocessors

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PDSPs

• PDSPs

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Instruction Set Design

• Addressing Modes
• Data Flow Zero-, One-, Two- or Three-Address
  Design
• Register File and Memory Architecture
• Operation Support
• Next Operation Location

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Software tools

• Lexical Analysis
• Parser Development

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FPGA microprocessor cores

• Hardcore microprocessors
• Softcore microprocessors

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Case studies

• T-RISC Stack Microprocessors
• LISA Wavelet Processor Design
• Nios FFT Design

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LABs

• LABs

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Where to read more

• Uwe Meyer-Baese, Digital Signal Processing with
  Field Programmable Gate Arrays, Third Edition,
  Springer, 2007.