Asynchronous control network optimization using fast minimum cycle time analysis.

Abstract

This paper proposes two methods for optimizing the control networks of asynchronous pipelines. The first uses a

branch-and-bound algorithm to search for the optimum mix of

the handshake components of different degrees of concurrence

that provides the best throughput while minimizing asynchronous

control overheads. The second method is a clustering technique

that iteratively fuses two handshake components that share input

channel sources or output channel destinations into a single component

while preserving the behavior and satisfying the performance

constraint of the asynchronous pipeline. We also propose

a fast algorithm for iterative minimum-cycle-time analysis. The

novelty of the proposed algorithm is that it takes advantage of

the fact that only small modifications are made to the control

network during each optimization iteration. When applied to

nontrivial designs, the proposed optimization methods provided

significant reductions in transistor count and energy dissipation

in the designs’ asynchronous control networks while satisfying the

throughput constraints.