On the asymptotic costs of multiplexer-based reconfigurability

Abstract

Existing literature documents a number of techniques for combining a set of independent datapath designs into a single datapath that is run-time configurable to the functionality of any datapath in the set. This paper explores how delay, energy and area overhead attributable to reconfigurability scales with the number of configurable functionalities, independent of the design of specific datapaths. Distinct design space regions are identified based upon common scaling properties, with implications on the design and feasible efficiency bounds of reconfigurable devices.