Runtime partial reconfiguration for embedded vector processors

Embedded systems have widely crept into industrial control, automotive, networking, and consumer products. These systems require efficient devices that occupy small area and consume low power. Device area can be minimized by reusing the same hardware for different applications. Thus, reconfiguring the hardware to adapt to the application needs is important for reducing execution time and/or power consumption. Partial reconfiguration enables minimum changes to the hardware to form a new configuration. We have designed a reconfigurable vector processor for embedded applications. Benchmark results on Xilinx FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) are presented involving partial reconfiguration for embedded applications that process vectors.