Introduction

Over the past several years, embedded systems have emerged as an integral though unseen part of many consumer, industrial, and military devices. The explosive growth of these systems has resulted in embedded computing becoming an increasingly important discipline. The need for designers of high-performance, application-specific computing systems has never been greater, and many universities and colleges in the US and worldwide are now developing advanced courses to help prepare their students for careers in embedded computing.

High-Performance Embedded Computing: Architectures, Applications, and Methodologies is the first book designed to address the needs of advanced students and industry professionals. Focusing on the unique complexities of embedded system design, the book provides a detailed look at advanced topics in the field, including multiprocessors, VLIW and superscalar architectures, and power consumption. Fundamental challenges in embedded computing are described, together with design methodologies and models of computation. HPEC provides an in-depth and advanced treatment of all the components of embedded systems, with discussions of the current developments in the field and numerous examples of real-world applications.

• Covers advanced topics in embedded computing, including multiprocessors, VLIW and superscalar architectures, and power consumption
• Provides in-depth coverage of networks, reconfigurable systems, hardware-software

Chapter