Partitioning framework for less restricted partitioning problems

Since the hardware-software partitioning problem is a key aspect of the codesign of digital electronic systems, extensive research has been performed with diverse definitions of partitioning problems. However, existent partitioning solutions are not applicable to many real applications partly because of restricted input specification or insufficient constraints. In this paper, we aim to identify the remaining issues to be solved in order to enlarge the target applications of automatic partitioning. We define the problem space with two curves of input specification and partitioning constraints and position each previous hardware/software partitioning algorithm in that space. We also list some of future partitioning problems that extend both dimensions of the problem space. Finally, we solve one remaining partitioning problem and show the experimental results.