SEEKING SOLUTIONS IN CONFIGURABLE COMPUTING

Configurable computing systems combine programmable hardware with prog rammable processors to capitalize on the strengths of hardware and sof tware. They have the potential for achieving high performance for a ra nge of applications, including image filtering, convolution, morpholog y, feature extraction, and object tracking. Researchers have developed prototype systems that achieve performance an order of magnitude high er than more conventional approaches. However, realizing this potentia l outside of the laboratory has proven difficult. No system to date ha s yet proven attractive or competitive enough to establish a commercia l presence. Ample opportunity exists for work in a broad range of area s. Not surprisingly, many of the most pressing needs can be lumped int o the category of FPGA-related technology, because so many configurabl e computing systems are based on FPGAs.