Behavioral synthesis for FPGA-based computing

Abstract

We describe how a behavioral synthesis system can be used to create designs for FPGA-based computing systems directly from a specification of the desired algorithm. This higher level of specification reduces design times and design errors. Our target hardware is called the Rasa Board and is composed of three Xilinx FPGAs interconnected with Aptix Field Programmable Interconnect Chips. We address two significant challenges in this research effort: the synthesis of multiple FPGA designs, and the improvement of the design through designer interaction.<>