Multicore DSP

1Introduction to DSP

CHAPTER MENU

1. 1.1 Introduction
2. 1.2 Multicore processors
   1. 1.2.1 Can any algorithm benefit from a multicore processor?
   2. 1.2.2 How many cores do I need for my application?
3. 1.3 Key applications of high‐performance multicore devices
4. 1.4 FPGAs, Multicore DSPs, GPUs and Multicore CPUs
5. 1.5 Challenges faced for programming a multicore processor
6. 1.6 Texas Instruments DSP roadmap
7. 1.7 Conclusion
8. References

Learning how to master a system‐on‐chip (SoC) can be a long, daunting process, especially for the novice. However, keeping in mind the big picture and understanding why a specific piece of hardware or software is used will remove the complexity in the details.

The purpose of this chapter is give an overview for the need of multicore processors, list different types of multicore processors and introduce the KeyStone processors that are the subject of this book.

1.1 Introduction

Today’s microprocessors are based on switching devices that provide alternation between two states, ON and OFF, that represent 1 s and 0 s. Up to now, the transistor is the only practical device to be used. Having small, fast, low‐power transistors has always been the challenge for chip manufacturers. From the 1960s, as predicted by Gordon Moore (in Moore’s law), the number of transistors that could be fitted in an integrated circuit doubled every 24 months [1]. That was possible due to new material, the development of chip process technology and especially the advances in photolithography ...