Synthesis and optimization of microelectronic systems

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The course takes place in the winter semester.

Dates: Wednesdays between 10:00 and 13:00 in WA -1606

Course structure: 6 CP, 2V+1Ü, 3 SWS

Contents and goals

The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to the basic algorithms and data structures used in the high-level design process of digital systems as well as an overview of the general subject area. The lecture deals with the algorithms and procedures in HW/SW codesign, high-level synthesis, register transfer synthesis and register transfer optimization as well as the data structures used for this purpose.

General optimization approaches and specific optimization algorithms are discussed, as they form the basis of all current software systems in industrial use in digital design.

The lecture thus covers the first part of the system design (high-level design) in terms of the methods and algorithms used. The resulting structural description of the circuit to be implemented (optimized gate network list) can now be implemented in various ways. The methods for implementation in the form of an ASIC design (application-specific integrated circuit), the so-called physical design, are covered in detail in the lecture"Computer-aided design...". You can find out more about the target technology FPGA (field-programmable gate array) in the lecture"Reconfigurable structures"!

The course (2V+1Ü, 6 CP) is aimed at Master's students of computer science, electrical engineering and mechatronics with an interest in computer engineering or information and communication technology (ICT).

Learning objectives: The learner can

  • outline the process and objectives of high-level synthesis,
  • explain given or known algorithms,
  • compare implementations of given algorithms,
  • develop extensions for existing algorithms,
  • evaluate synthesis results qualitatively.

Pseudocode formulations of algorithms are also used in the lecture. You should understand pseudocode and learn to understand it step by step. The re-implementation of algorithms in a programming language will also be practiced.

Materials

All materials as well as a forum can be found in Moodle of the University of Kassel. Please log in to Moodle in any case, as current information is distributed via Moodle.

All course materials and a discussion forum can be found in the Moodle course of the lecture. Please be sure to register for this course if you wish to attend the lecture.

Literature: The following textbooks will be used in the lecture

  • Patrick R. Schaumont. 2010. A Practical Introduction to Hardware/Software Codesign (1st ed.). Springer Publishing Company, Incorporated.
  • Giovanni DeMicheli: Synthesis and Optimization of Digital Circuits (McGraw-Hill Series in Electrical & Computer Engineering), Mcgraw-Hill Publ.Comp. (March 1994), ISBN: 0070163332
  • Petra Michel, Peter Duzy , Ulrich Lauther (Editors): The Synthesis Approach to Digital System Design (Kluwer International Series in Engineering & Computer Science), Springer, Berlin; Edition: 2 (March 1992), ISBN: 0792391993

Further sources: An online course on complexity theory:

www.udacity.com/course/cs313 (please copy the link into the browser address bar)

Udacity is an organization committed to the democratization of higher education by offering courses at the undergraduate level on its web platform. Participation in the course is free of charge.

Proof of performance

Proof of performance is provided in the form of a term paper with presentation and discussion. The exact modalities will be announced in the course.