Optimal design of synchronous circuits using software pipelining techniques

Abstract

In this paper, we present a method to optimize clocked circuits by relocating and changing the time of activation of registers to maximize throughput. Our method is based on software pipelining instead of retiming. The two methods have the same overall complexity, but unlike previously published retiming methods, the time consuming step of searching an adequate clock period is avoided, since the optimal clock period is always a solution. The resulting circuit is a multi-phase clocked circuit, where all the clocks have the same period. Edge-triggered flip-flops are used where the combinational delays exactly match that period, whereas level-sensitive latches are used elsewhere improving the area occupied by the circuit. Experiments on existing and newly developed benchmarks show substantial performance improvement compared to previously published work.