Feedback-driven datapath optimization in Fasolt

Abstract

Fasolt is a program that optimizes a register-level datapath design. Fasolt is unique in that it uses layout information to drive the choice of optimizing transformations; hence it is feedback-driven, because it uses low-level information to drive high-level decision making. Fasolt 1.0 uses critical path and channel density to select pairs of wire bundles to be merged, which may necessitate retiming. Hence scheduling and allocation can take wiring into account in a novel way, which has been sufficient to given 10 and 50% area reductions in naive initial designs.<>